I Wish It Was You
by PrincessOfSilence
Summary: Once upon a time, I was in love with a human. He broke my heart, so I broke his. Now I'm back, and it seems that the small town I ran from is as dangerous now as it was back then. Damon/OC
1. Prologue: 57 Missed Calls

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

I glanced at my phone for the hundredth time in two hours. 1 missed call…2 missed calls... 57 missed calls. It began to ring again, the familiar number causing me to roll my eyes. IGNORE. I went back to focusing on the road.

I finally arrived at my destination, Mystic Falls. Everything looked so different, so new. It had been a long time since I'd been here, and I was sure that now I would be here to stay. Finding my new house was an easy task, and I was surprised as I pulled into the driveway. It was at the end of a cul-de-sac, surrounded by trees, and it was fairly large.

I got out of the car and walked to the door of the house. The door was unlocked and I hesitated before I stepped in with ease. I'd been talking with the realtor for days over the phone, negotiating. But I never expected it the house to look like this. It was designed with a look of grandeur and had an air of importance to it.

"Miss Avery?" I heard a voice from behind me. I turned and saw an elderly man in a suit standing at the door. I removed my sunglasses and smiled at him.

"Hi, you must be Mr. Beech. It's good to finally meet you," I stated.

"Well, I just need you to sign these papers, and then the house is all yours." He replied, opening his briefcase and taking out a stack of papers.

"You really managed to get the price down," Mr. Beech joked. "No one was making any offers."

"I guess no one wants to live in a house where people were murdered," I stated.

"It was an animal attack." He corrected.

"Right," I replied, signing the last paper and handing them to him. "Thank you, Mr. Beech, for all your help. I'm sure that Mystic Falls will be home in no time."

**A/N: I hope you'll enjoy the upcoming chapters, which will be longer than this one. Reviews are appreciated.**


	2. Tears of a Vampire

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Damon's POV**

I walked into the Grill and ordered bourbon. The whole Georgia Road Trip wasn't getting me closer to getting Katherine out of the tomb. I needed to find Emily's grimoire, which was probably going to be a wild goose chase. I drank the entire glass of bourbon and motioned to the bartender for another.

I looked around the room, searching for someone who would quench my thirst for blood, but a familiar voice stood out in the usual chatter inside the Grill.

"…yep, just moved in." I turned my head towards it and my eyes widened with shock.

"Miranda," I whispered. She had come back; after almost hundred and fifty years, she had come back to Mystic Falls. She looked as fragile as a porcelain doll, and I felt the urge to break her in half.

"Hopefully I can get to the store tomorrow, stock up on groceries," she told the cashier. "Its priority one, or else the cholesterol is going to kill me." The cashier began laughing, and handed her a brown paper bag.

"Alright, have a good night. Welcome to Mystic Falls." Miranda smiled and turned to leave the Grill, not sparing a glance in my direction. I paid the bartender and followed her outside; I could see her walking down the street, fiddling with a set of keys. The sun had just set, leaving an orange glow against the darkness of night.

I stayed far enough behind her so she wouldn't sense I was there, but close enough to see what she was doing. She walked up to a black SUV, and unlocked the door. She tossed the brown bag carefully onto the passenger's seat before turning and leaning against the side of the car.

"Hello Damon," she said with her musical voice. "I know you're there, you can't sneak up on me." I stepped out from the shadows and walked up to her. Her gaze was upon me, unwavering, examining me as if I had changed somehow. I had, of course, but then again, so had she.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Taking a vacation," she replied nonchalantly. "I needed an escape from everyday life."

"So Miranda Arlington returns—"

"It's Avery now." She interrupted. "Miranda Avery."

"Married?" I asked, ignoring the feeling of my heart being squeezed.

"I got my name changed. What do you think?"

"I think you chose the wrong town." I looked at her, taking in her features for the first since she left Mystic Falls. Her hair was a mixture of dark red and brown and was placed neatly in a ponytail, her doe eyes were a beautiful shade of green, she wore a black and cream tiered ruffle dress and black heels.

My attention was caught on the necklace around her neck: a thin silver chain with an elaborate silver skeleton key dangling on it. Why was she still wearing it after all these years?

"I don't think that's your decision to make." The look on her face was both blank and intense at the same time, as if she was waiting for me to spontaneously combust.

I began thinking of the memories I had of her, and words readied themselves in my mind. I had a million things to say to Miranda. True, hurtful things that would make her feel like a monster. But there was one thing that stood out from all the rest, and make her hurt the most.

"You know I was in love with you," I said to her truthfully. Miranda took a deep breath, and avoided my gaze.

"I was in love with you and you left. Then I fell in love with Katherine, because she was there and you weren't. Did you just play me? Were you using me as a game?" I asked.

"No," she whispered without looking at me. "I don't know how you could think that."

"Then why did you leave?" I asked. I still loved her, almost as much as I loved Katherine, but she could never replace Katherine.

"I didn't want to stay in a town where I would be betrayed by the people I saw every day. People who I cared about." Her eyes found mine and she frowned. "The last few days I spent here was hell, and I couldn't subject myself to that kind of pain anymore."

"You're lying to me," I stated angrily. "You never cared about anyone but yourself. You—" Suddenly I was pushed against a building, Miranda's hand pinning me there by my throat. Tears spilled slowly from her eyes.

"I could never forgive you for what you did, until just recently, Damon Salvatore." Her voice was thick with emotion, and I was at a loss about what she was talking about. When had I done anything to her?

Miranda leaned closer to me, as if she was telling a secret, and squeezed my throat. "Just because I left, doesn't mean I didn't care."

She backed off, leaving me coughing slightly as she climbed into the SUV. Before she drove away, she looked towards me, and I could see her face beginning to change into the twisted, monstrous face every vampire secretly had.

**A/N: What do you think? Is it interesting? Please review and let me know. **


	3. Seven Years of Bad Luck

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

I sat in the corner of my bedroom, tears falling slowly from my eyes. An empty blood bag sat next to me, along with the half-eaten food I had gotten from the Mystic Grill.

I didn't expect to see Damon on my first day in town. I didn't think he would approach me the way he did. I didn't know what lies Katherine fed him when I left town, or how much she compelled him to forget, but I was planning on finding out soon.

I carefully looked through an old chest full of things that meant the most to me. I was sentimental, and I was also a pack rat. The moving truck with my things arrived shortly after I did.

All of my clothes that were still in good condition, my favorite pieces of furniture that complimented my tastes, artwork I had collected and my freezer that I quickly put in the windowless basement and filled with blood bags from a cooler I had in my car. I could have survived a few days without them, but not without my memory chest.

There were Polaroids of me in my Pan Am uniform from the 60's, tickets and pamphlets from art museums I had visited over the years, autographed cocktail napkins from jazz clubs. I carefully picked up an old pair of white lace gloves that had discolored with age. I gently examined the left glove and saw it stained with dried blood.

_ I felt a stabbing pain in my back, and I saw a stake protruding from my stomach. The pain was excruciating, and got even worse as the stake was ripped out with twice as much force as before. "Consider this a warning," I heard Katherine's sickeningly sweet voice taunt me as I fell to the ground. I clutched my stomach, waiting to heal so I could rip out her throat. "Don't cross me. Ever."_

_ I spat blood onto the ground, and looked up at her, smiling. "I'm sorry, but I don't listen to warnings too well."_

I reminded myself to burn the gloves as I threw them across the room into a small pile of things I wanted to get rid of. Eventually, after putting the most important things back into the box, I lay down on my bed and forced myself to fall asleep.

* * *

_There were three knocks on my bedroom doors; they were hard and frantic. I smelled Damon's scent faintly through the thick, mahogany doors. I locked myself in my room for a reason; I didn't want to see anyone._

_ He knocked on the doors again, this time with both his fists. "Miranda, please. Open this door; I need to talk with you."I look across the room at my reflection in the mirror; I took a book from one of my open trunks and threw it at the mirror, instantly smashing it to pieces._

_Seven years of bad luck? I didn't care, finally realizing my bad luck started the day I was turned into a monster. _

_ "Open the door, Miranda," Damon cried. "I love you. I'll always love you." I closed the lids on the trunks and grabbed the key. I unlocked my bedroom door and immediately it burst open. Damon stood in front of me and stared at me with tears in his eyes._

_ "Why?" he choked out._

_ "You know why," I replied coldly. _

"_Were you just going to leave without telling me? Do I mean that little to you?"_

_ "I think that is a question _I_ should be asking _you_."I turned and I walked out of the room, not even saying goodbye. I knew it was wrong of me, but deep inside my heart, I hoped this town would burn to the ground._

* * *

The sun woke me up, blinding me as I opened my eyes. Despite being a vampire, I was a total morning person. It pained me that I was all alone; whenever I stayed with friends I would cook a big breakfast for everyone.

I stretched to wake up, and realized I had fallen asleep with my clothes on. I hadn't unpacked the rest of my clothes yet, and all I had was whatever I brought in my suitcase for the long road trip from Vermont.

There was a loud knock coming from downstairs at the front door. I could hear three heartbeats and some talking. Using my vampire speed, I went down to the front door, looking into the mirror to make sure I didn't look terrible. Bed head? Check. Smeared makeup? Check. New neighbor who looks like shit and happens to be a vampire? Oh, you know that's a check!

I opened the door and saw three people standing there with smiles on their faces. I looked at them, smiling brightly and said, "Good morning."

There was a woman, who was obviously older than the other two, but she was still young looking. On her left was a teenage boy, who had tousled hair and a tired look in his eyes; obviously he had just woken up as well. When I turned to the person on the woman's left, a teenage girl, and felt my smile waver for a split second.

She was the splitting image of Katherine Pierce. One word etched itself into my mind: doppelganger.

**A/N: That's it; if it was bad, I am truly sorry. I've been sick with a stomach virus and it gave me a little bit of ADD. Let me know what you think; I promise that the next update will be sooner. **


	4. Impossibly Good Looking

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

"Hi," the woman's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "We live down the street and notice you moving in yesterday. We just thought that we'd come over to say hello, welcome to the neighborhood." Her voice was friendly and she extended her hand for me to shake.

"These two are my niece and nephew, Elena and Jeremy Gilbert." She motioned towards the two teenagers with her.

"Nice to meet you," I shook her hand and smiled. "I'm Miranda Avery." I shook Jeremy's hand, and then I turned to Elena. She looked down at my hand and then back up to my face; I saw fear flash behind her eyes before they returned to normal. She was hesitant to shake my hand, but obviously she forced herself to be polite.

"You must have so much unpacking to do," Jenna said. "We'll leave you too it."

"Thanks," I said. "I'll see you soon. Have a good day." I closed the door and I slumped up against it. Sometimes, I felt like I was getting on a roller coaster of crazy; this was one of those times.

* * *

After drinking some blood, I got ready for my day. I had some errands to run before I could go back home and unpack all my things. I stopped at a stop sign, and looked at my phone. It was ringing off the hook, so I threw it in the back seat. I turned back around to face the road, and was scared shit less when I saw Damon sitting in the passenger seat.

"Oh holy crap; do you sneak into people's cars while they aren't paying attention a lot?" I asked.

"Yes and no," Damon replied, smirking. He leaned over towards me. "Sometimes I lie in the street and wait for drivers to stop, and then I drain them and leave their mangled bodies on the hoods of their cars." He began laughing, like it was some kind of a joke.

I looked straight ahead and kept driving. "I can't expect you to know better; Katherine probably taught you that little trick."

There was complete silence for a few minutes, until Damon reached over and turned on the radio. "So, where are we going?"

"_I_ am going grocery shopping." I said, trying to give him the hint that I didn't want him there.

"Oh fun," he said playfully. "I usually don't do groceries. Stefan is more the domestic type: sweeping the floors, doing the laundry, making dinner. Although, I usually catch my own dinner, because I'm not fond of the whole "saying grace" and taking turns doing the dishes and taking out the trash."

"You must think you're so funny," I told him.

"I think I should become a comedian," he smirked.

"I don't think an audience would like you if every joke ended with "I drank their blood and left them to rot."" I laughed at him.

"I thought you didn't like me, you know, given the way you acted last night. You and Stefan are both so angsty."

"I just reacted like any normal person would; it was you who jumped down my throat."

"I'm sorry," Damon began. "I didn't think you would randomly pop up after 145 years. You couldn't pick up a phone, or come and visit?"

* * *

**Damon's POV**

My phone began buzzing, and I looked to see that it was Stefan.

"Ah, Stefan," I answered. "Just the person I didn't want to talk to."

"Ha-ha, Damon. Very funny." Stefan replied. "I wanted to let you know that Elena called me—"

"Dirty phone talk? I would have never thought you rolled that way."

"Can you shut up for a minute, this is serious." He yelled. "Elena called and said that there's a vampire just moved into the house down the street from her. I'm going over there to check it out."

"Tell me something I don't know." I replied coolly. I looked over at Miranda; she was paying close attention to the road.

"What do you mean?" Stefan asked. "Do you know who it is?"

"It's my worst nightmare;" I told him. Miranda reached over and punched me in the arm. "Ouch, what did you do that for?" I asked her.

"You're acting like a child," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Says the girl who punched me." I returned my attention back to Stefan.

"Who was that?" he asked.

"That was said nightmare, telling me I was being childish," I saw Miranda shake her head out of the corner of my eye. "Miranda's back Stefan."

"Oh; really? Elena and I were almost going to go over to the house and do some snooping."

"You're a home invader too, Stefan? It's like your changing every day. I hope you haven't corrupted Elena too much." I teased him. I could hear him let out an angry sigh.

"Oh relax Stefan. I'm only joking." I informed him.

"Don't do anything to Miranda, Damon." Stefan whispered into the phone. I could barely hear him, which was astounding, since I was a vampire.

"Do you not trust me?" I asked. My question was answered when Stefan ended the call. I turned to look at Miranda.

"Staring is not polite," she informed me, her gaze still focused on driving.

"Really? I thought that was pointing." I replied. "Is that why you can ignore my impossibly good looks? Because staring isn't polite?"

"Well, aren't you being condescending?" Miranda looked over and smiled.

"You're avoiding my question," I said after a moment of silence.

"It's a good question for me to avoid. I'll answer it when I know the answer." How could she not know the answer?

"So, what have you been doing for the past 145 years?" Miranda asked.

"Not much; ruining Stefan's life is my long term goal. I've been trying to focus on that, and mix in a lot of blood and booze."

"Are you admitting that you're an alcoholic?"

"No, but I do enjoy a glass of bourbon from time to time. If I remember correctly" I told her. "You were the one who liked red wine, and drank it before and after every time you fed."

"How do you remember that?" Miranda looked genuinely shocked. She pulled the car into a parking spot at the supermarket and grabbed her phone and purse from the backseat. She got out of the car and bent down to look at me.

"Well, Mr. I'm-Not-Domestic-Because-I'm Impossibly-Good-Looking, are you accompanying me inside, or do I need to crack a few windows?" I smirked at her and sped out of the car, stopping next to her.

"Lead the way." I said.

**A/N: Let me know what you think! This chapter and the next one were originally going to be one chapter, but the next one is pretty long. I'm sorry if my chapters are short; I'm going to try and make up for it by updating the story more often. Thanks for all the reviews and added alerts/favorites. I really appreciate it.**


	5. Home Invader

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

I pushed the cart through the supermarket; Damon had been casually walking beside me for a while now, as I carefully placed groceries into the cart.

As soon as I turned back to the cart after looking at cartons of eggs, I knew how human mothers felt when their children got lost in stores. Damon was absolutely nowhere in sight. "Ah crap," I muttered.

"Miss me?" Damon's lips were right next my ear; his voice startled me. I turned to face him; in his hand was a bottle of bourbon. "I thought you might want to have it in your house, in case I drop by unexpectedly."

I rolled my eyes as he placed in the cart. "So you plan on dropping by a lot?"

"Oh yeah; I'd like to see your house once you move all the crap. That couch in the living room looks very comfortable." He smirked at me. I slapped his chest and he winced.

"You were in my house?" I asked.

"Yeah, I like invading homes and snooping around. You toss and turn while you sleep."

"You are a giant asshole."

I began pushing it towards the produce section. Damon came up behind me and placed his chest against my back, and his hands over mine. "Are you trying to piss me off even more?" I asked,

"I like annoying you; it's fun." I could feel his leather jacket sliding against the fabric of my blouse.

"What is it with vampires and leather?" I turned and whispered to him.

"Shouldn't you know?"

"I don't generally dress like a badass," I replied.

"I can tell. Normal people don't wear blouses and pencil skirts on the weekend, but I like the cute secretary look for you." Damon gave me a sly smile.

"A: I like to look professional. B: I haven't unpacked anything casual yet. C: Did you just call me cute?" I looked over my shoulder at him.

"Maybe, why?"

"I've never been called "cute" before. It seems too…kidsy." I confessed.

"Ok, you're smoking hot." he whispered. "Is it good genes or a good doctor? Because I think everyone would like to know your secret."

"I swear…" I couldn't finish my thought because he interrupted me.

"How old are you again?" he asked. Damon lifted one hand up and brushed my hair away from my shoulder; before I could feel his nose trailing down my neck.

"Lost count." I told him. I could feel him smirk against my skin.

"You are such a liar," he replied, returning to his previous position. I felt like I was caged in his arms, and I was beginning to feel trapped. I didn't like to be trapped; I was dangerous when I was trapped. I had to find a way to calm down, or a way to get out of this.

"For some reason, I don't think you care." I kept my tone even, as well as my breathing.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

Later that afternoon, I walked into the boarding house and slammed the door shut. I had to start getting to work on getting Katherine out of the stupid tomb; playing house with Miranda was a big mistake on my part. Every time a word came out of her mouth, it was like she was messing with my head. I couldn't keep my thoughts straight; it was almost impossible to stay angry with her whenever she was in the same vicinity as I was.

I stormed into the library and began looking through the books. I threw them carelessly onto the floor when I saw they weren't what I wanted.

"What are you looking for Damon?" I heard Stefan ask as he walked into the library.

"Not your concern," I replied. Stefan always had to bother me at the worst possible times.

"Nope," he said. "But putting Elena in harm's way is my concern." I didn't have time for whatever he was babbling about now.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Atlanta."

"Yeah, Elena and I had a _blast." _I turned to my book.

"I get it. You're just bitter," he replied. "Because one of us gets to be with the person that we love and poor Katherine is _just _out of reach."

I tried to ignore him, but I failed. It was like the universe was against me today.

"Unless there's another way to get into that tomb. Is that what Bree told you?"

"You're pathetic when you're fishing." I told him.

"And you're transparent when you're deflecting." I looked back at Stefan and smirked. "Don't you have school?"

"Yes, but I have to say something first." I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, really? Because we aren't having a conversation right now. We're just making small talk. Please Stefan, I think you've said enough."

"No I haven't." Stefan snapped. "I don't want you hanging around Miranda."

"It's not like I can break her like one of Elena's little friends." I told him. "Besides, she's the one who left."

"I can't believe you don't remember." Stefan said.

"Don't remember what?" I asked him. This was getting frustrating.

"Just…don't do anything to make her leave again. We may need her to help protect Elena." He left the room and I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I sat on the porch swing in front of my house, eating a bowl of soup I had made as soon as I got home from grocery shopping with Damon. It sounded weird, like some kind of game a kid played in Preschool. Damon left as soon as I got the things into my car, saying he had something to "attend to."

The afternoon air was warm, and it caused the trees to saw in the breeze. The sun was still shining in the clear blue sky. I looked up as I heard someone approaching the house, and I saw that it was Elena. "Hi," I said, placing a spoonful of soup into my mouth.

"Hi, Miranda. I'm sorry about my behavior earlier today. I was just kind of freaking out about your ring. I thought you were…well Stefan told me you are. But I thought that you were an evil one. I overreacted, and now I'm here to apologize."

"I—" I tried to talk, but she interrupted me. That happened to me a lot today.

"I was thinking that we could be…I don't know, friends? You seem like a nice person; I mean look at you. You're eating chicken noodle soup."

"What would I eat if I was not nice; a deer carcass?" I asked, laughing.

"You have a point there," Elena replied. "So, are you going to sign up for school?"

"No. I'm a _little_ too old for high school." I replied. "Been there, done that."

"Oh, that's a shame. There's going to be the 50's Decade Dance in a few days at school."

"The 50's…I was there too." I said, my thoughts trailing off a little bit. "So, you and Stefan are…"

"Dating." She stated. "It was a little weird when I found out about Katherine. Did you know her?" I nodded.

"Complete bitch; I might have just met you, but you are nothing like her. She tried to kill me in 1864."

"So you knew Stefan and Damon when they were humans?"

"Yeah. I haven't seen Stefan yet, but Damon...he's different. I guess people change in 145 years."

"I guess." Elena said. "It was nice talking with you Miranda, but I have to get going. Maybe I'll see you around." I smiled and waved as she walked down the street towards her house.

I could hear my phone ring from inside, and I went in to get it. I didn't recognize the number, so I answered it.

"Hello," I spoke into the receiver. I never expected to hear the voice that spoke.

"Hello, Miranda. I heard you were moving to Mystic Falls." I immediately pressed the End Call button and threw the phone onto my couch.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. Hope you all enjoyed it. Who could it be that Miranda is avoiding? All will be revealed soon. Reviews are much appreciated.**


	6. Messy Eaters

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

It felt like one of those horror movies, where the main character got a creepy phone call. I was officially scared; I wanted to run to a Home Depot and change all the locks on the house. If only that would do any good for me. "Ugh, I need to change my phone number. Like, right now. I'm going right now!"

I grabbed my keys and my phone and ran out to my car; I needed to change the number before they figured out that I was already here.

By the time I got home, it was already getting dark outside. I was satisfied with my new phone and phone number. I had my big book of contacts in my closet, so I wasn't worried about losing someones number.

I sat in my living room, trying to hook up my television and stereo so I didn't have to live in silence. Most of my things were safely placed in their own space, leaving a slew of empty boxes crowding my hallway. The doorbell rang just as I was about to plug everything into the socket, and I was baffled. Who could have been at the door?

I got up from the floor and walked over to the front door. As I opened it, I was surprised to see Stefan.

"I need to ask you for a favor," he said grimly as he stepped into the house.

"Seriously? That's the first thing you say to me?" I asked, shutting the door.

"OK," Stefan's face became apologetic as he gave me a hug. "Sorry, but I do need to ask you for a favor."

"Uh-huh," I said, looking up at him. Both Salvatore brothers were taller than I was when I wore flats, since I was only 5'6". "What is that you need?"

"I need you to watch Elena's house."

"Why?" I asked, pulling out of the hug.

"Some vampire has been following her around, making threatening calls on her phone. I can't be there 24-7, so I need you to keep an ear out in case of anything."

"Hmm, I'm not sure body guarding and surveillance are on my resume…" I teased him.

"This is serious Miranda." Brooding Stefan was now taking over.

"Ah, you can't take a joke. Of course I'll help, but I can't go inside if something happens. I haven't been invited in."

"It's just a precaution, in case I can't get there."

"Elena's cool; I'm glad you found her." I told him, smiling. Stefan walked into the living room and looked around.

"How have you been?" he asked.

"Super tired, super stressed," I laughed. "Moving here doesn't help. This town is like a soap opera come to life."

"Is it the dreams again?" Stefan asked, concerned. "You haven't been sleeping?"

"I'm handling it, Stefan. You don't need to worry about me. I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself." I avoided it, and played it cool.

"Are you sure?" Stefan knew he hit the nail right on the head.

"I'll be fine," I smiled.

"Just be careful around Damon," he warned. "He's changed a lot since you left."

"I know."

"He doesn't remember anything."

"Neither did you when I saw you in the 20's." I replied and he became bashful. We walked over to the door and I opened it.

"Goodbye, Miranda. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Elena and I can help you."

"Oh, shut up already," I laughed and pushed him outside. "Go get it on with your girlfriend."

"You're worse than Damon," Stefan said through the front door, obviously not believing I had said that.

The rest of my week went by uneventfully, and now it was Friday afternoon. I was lying on my bed with my eyes closed, trying to relax, but obviously it wasn't working. I had a headache and I tried everything to get rid of it.

"I didn't peg you as someone who lounges about," Damon's voice rang through the room annoyingly.

"What are you doing in my house?" I opened my eyes to look at him. "I like my privacy; what if I was taking a shower?"

"Too bad you weren't," Damon smirked; he was drinking what I assumed was bourbon, from one of my glasses. "We could have had some fun."

"Uh-huh, whatever." I closed my eyes again, and tried to ignore him. "Again I ask; what are you doing here?"

"I was in the neighborhood, I saw your house, and thought about all the fun things I could do until tonight. Oddly, there were none, so here I am."

"I'm glad I was on the top of the list," I wanted him out of my house. I felt Damon's hand on my forehead, and the mattress dipped down next to me.

"You have a headache," he stated blankly.

"No, I'm lying here waiting to disintegrate into oblivion," I said sarcastically. "Of course I have a headache."

"Why?" Damon sounded genuinely concerned.

"It's none of your business," I replied.

"Usually, when someone says that, it has something to do with me." I heard him place his glass on my bedside table. "Am I inside your head? Eating away at your thoughts?"

"No, but your voice is making me nauseous right now." I opened my eyes to find him leaning over me, dangerously close. "I feel like I got hit by a truck. And I did get hit by a truck once, but it wasn't this bad."

"Have you been feeding?" he asked.

"Yes, I have a freezer in the basement. I—"

"OK, I don't mean cheating feeding. I mean, feeding: veins, screaming humans, the works."

"No, not in a few weeks. I didn't want the town to become an angry mob with pitchforks and torches."

"That's quite unlikely. The Founder's Council thinks I got rid of the town's vampire problem."

"There's still a council?" I asked. My "father" had been on the council, even though he wasn't part of one of the founding families.

"Yes, and they are _crazy_ obsessed with vampires," Damon replied nonchalantly. "So, you up for a little fresh blood? Because I'm going whether or not you want to tag along." He got up off of the bed and headed for the door before turning back to me.

"And wear something a little more comfortable; I swear you dress like you're trying to _get a promotion_ at work." I rolled my eyes at him as he disappeared.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I waited for Miranda in the dining room; the mahogany table was polished and had picture frames in the center with some large candles. I picked one of the frames up and was surprised to see the old black and white photo of the Arlington's, standing in front of their house. It was labeled 1862 in tiny writing in the corner.

Miranda was smiling shyly—hair placed neatly over one shoulder—and standing between her parents honorably. I had assumed that they weren't her real parents, since she was obviously considerably older than 17, as she said she was when they moved into Mystic Falls.

Robert Arlington was about as old as my father, but had more understanding to him. He was kind, and always giving advice. He looked like a gentlemen, and acted like one too. His wife, Marybeth, was the stricter one. She was preoccupied with etiquette and being part of society, but she still encouraged Miranda to do the things she loved.

I put the frame down as I heard Miranda coming down the stairs. "Finally," I whined. "You were taking forever." I looked up to see her putting a small black blazer on; she wore a pair of light grey jeans and dark grey, ruffled tank top with black ankle boots. "Finally, you dress somewhat like a normal person. Maybe the world is ending."

"Just shut up, and let's go." She disappeared for a second and then appeared with a purse and her phone. It was different from the one she had a few days ago, and I was wondering why.

We walked together down the sidewalk silently; I found myself looking over at Miranda constantly, and only finding her looking around. My eye caught on something shining in the late afternoon sunlight; I looked over and saw she was still wearing the skeleton key necklace. I felt like asking her about it, but shook my head at the thought.

"I'm assuming Emily gave you and Stefan your rings," Miranda asked, looking over at me.

"Yes, but I've been wondering where you got yours." I replied.

"I have connections; I've always had something to protect me from the sun. Right now, I'm wearing two things."

"Really? The ring is obvious. Do I want to know where the other one is, or is it someplace _private_?" Miranda rolled her eyes at me and pulled her hair behind her ears, revealing silver dangling earrings with little blue stones on them.

"What happens if you lose them?" I asked.

"I don't," she stated simply.

We arrived at the town square, and I looked around for any potential prey. I looked over to Miranda only to find she was gone. Of course she could find someone waster than I could, she had more experience. I followed her scent to an alley, and saw her chatting with a young couple who had been jogging.

"…see, I always wanted to try jogging, but I always get distracted by squirrels." I couldn't believe that she was actually having a conversation with them. She looked over and waved me over with a smile. I could see mischief behind her eyes, and I smirked.

"Damon, I just met some _wonderful _people." She walked up to the man and put her finger to his lips, compelling him to be quiet, before she bit him. I was staring so intensely, that I almost forgot about the woman. Miranda had obviously compelled them not to make a sound or move an inch. I dove right it, my teeth cutting into her skin, making her blood gush into my mouth.

Something in the back of my mind made me look over towards Miranda as she fed. She wasn't animalistic and quick; it looked seductive. I could feel the woman begin to grow weak and I pulled away. I looked her in the eye and said, "You'll forget all about meeting us; go home and clean yourself up, and don't talk to anyone along the way." The woman nodded sleepily and walked off in a daze.

Miranda had finished with the man and sent him on his way as well before turning towards me. Her mouth was smeared with blood and I imagined that I looked a similar way.

"You're a messy eater," she said, going into her purse and pulling out a pristine white handkerchief.

"So are you," I replied as she walked up to me and went to wipe my face. Once she was done, I pulled it out of her hand and cleaned her mouth off as well. I paused afterwards, running my thumb across her bottom lip slowly.

"Feeling better?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's just what I needed," she replied, smiling. "Thank you." She moved a piece of hair that had fallen loose back behind her ear, and backed away from me. "I'll see you soon," she said, and then she was gone.

I turned to go back home and wondered what I was getting myself into.

**A/N: Ooh, things are getting steamy! Thank you for all the reviews and stuff; I looked at my inbox this morning and it made me feel so happy that you guys like the story. Reviews are still much appreciated! See you next time!**


	7. No Time To Swing

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

I spent a few hours reading before I heard something outside of my house. I got up and dashed over to the front windows, looking out into the night. I noticed a dark figure quickly move from the bushes in front of my house over to Elena's. I didn't recognize the scent, but it was definitely a vampire. "Crap."

Using my vampire speed, I ran to put my shoes back on and get over to Elena's. I followed the scent around her house a few times, and then I heard a scream. I got to the front of the house to see the figure disappear down the street.

I walked up the steps and to the door, knocking on it frantically. "Elena, it's Miranda. Is everything ok?" I yelled inside. The door swung open to reveal an angry Stefan and a scared Elena. "Did you see him?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah, he ran. Went that way," I replied, pointing in the direction the vampire fled. "Do you want me to try and follow him?" I asked.

"No," Stefan said. "He'll expect that." I looked at Elena; she had calmed down a little bit, but was clutching Stefan's hand tightly.

"Elena, how did he get in?" Stefan asked her.

"That was the pizza guy from last night; Jeremy invited him inside. Are Jenna and Jeremy going to be ok? Is that guy going to go after them to?"

"Don't worry about that right now; I'm sure he was just coming after you." Stefan replied. I leaned against the door jam, and scoffed.

"Way to make her feel better Stefan." I then turned my attention to Elena. "Don't worry. You'll be fine."

"Miranda, how did you know to come over here?" Elena asked.

"Well, besides the fact that the idiot was roaming around outside _my _house—"

"I asked her to keep an ear out for you, just in case something like this would happen." Stefan finished.

"Miranda, can you stay here with Elena while I get Damon to come over and look around a little?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah, go snoop around, you're girlfriend's safe with me," I smiled. Stefan walked outside and Elena looked at me expectantly. Suddenly, a look of realization dawned on her face.

"You can come inside," she said, and I was able to step inside the house.

"Don't worry," I assured her. "I won't abuse the invitation. I always use the doorbell." She walked into the living room and sat down on the couch, covering her face with her hands.

"Are you going to be ok?" I asked, sitting down next to her.

"I think so; I just need a minute to calm down. It isn't everyday that a vampire comes this close to killing me." She looked frazzled.

"I know it's a bad time, but you look all gussied up. Very 50's stylish." I complimented on her outfit.

"I don't even want to go outside, but thanks."

"Do you want some tea? Nice calming tea. I'll go make some tea." I rambled on a bit, snapping out of it before Elena laughed.

"Sorry," I laughed as well. "I'm not good in stressful situations."

"I can see that," she said.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I paced around Elena's living room; I couldn't keep my thoughts on the situation at hand. "How did he get in?" I asked.

"He was invited in;" Elena's voice was laden with fear as Miranda walked in the room with a mug full of tea.

"He posed as a pizza delivery guy last night," Stefan continued. The guy was crafty; he had obviously done something like this before.

"Well, he gets points for that."

"Did he say what he wanted Elena?" Miranda asked.

"No, he was too busy trying to kill me," Elena deadpanned.

"You have no idea who it was?" Stefan asked, looking directly at me. How did I get blamed for everything?

"No," I stated. He gave me a look, and I rolled my eyes. "Don't look at me like that; I told you we had company."

"Do you think there's more than one?" Elena asked.

"We don't know," I replied. "Try asking the Princess of Death here; maybe she knows who it was." I looked over at Miranda who was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

"Damon, he was invited in," Stefan quickly interrupted.

"Then we go get him tonight," I said as I sat on the couch.

"What do I have to do?"

"Go to your dance," Miranda said. "Relax and have fun with Stefan. We can keep an eye out for him there."

"It's a bad idea," Stefan said protectively.

"Until we get him, this house isn't safe," I replied. "For anyone who lives in it." I could almost see into Elena's thoughts; she was thinking of her family.

"I'll do it," Elena decided, sitting up straight with a look of determination. "I'll be with the three of you, I'll be safe." Elena pulled Stefan up and walked with him out of the room. I looked over to Miranda, who seemed to be in deep thought. She pushed herself off the wall, and I pinned her to it by her throat before she could move any more.

"Seriously?" she sighed. "What is wrong with you?"

"How did you know about this? Why are you here?" I asked her.

"Stefan asked me to keep an ear out in case there was someone lurking around."

"You and Stefan are _buddies_ now? " I asked. She reached her hand up and twisted my wrist to release her. Damn, she was strong for being so small.

"I'd appreciate it if we didn't go through the whole wall-pin thing anymore. I have to go lock up my house before you leave."

"Why?" I asked suspiciously.

"I dropped everything to run over here, and I haven't left since," Miranda said. "I don't like people going touching my stuff without permission."

"I went into your house and looked around a bit. Touched your stuff."

"I _let _you," she replied coolly. "See you in a jiff."

Do you know how it feels to walk into a school dance filled with humans dressed as characters from_ Happy Days_? It's pretty annoying. I looked back at Miranda to see her staring at everything wide-eyed, like she was taking in every detail. I noticed her doing that since I met her; she had a child-like fascination with everything, like she had been locked up her entire life.

_ I walked into the General Store to pick up some things for my father; "Good Morning Mr. Salvatore," the old woman who ran the shop greeted me. I smiled at her and walked over to where she was. "I have a list of things my father needs right away," I explained._

_ The woman nodded and took the list, leaving me alone in the front of the shop. I looked around and saw a young woman towards the back of the store, staring at jars that were lined carefully on the shelves. She picked one up with her gloved hand and examined it carefully. I didn't recognize her, so I walked over to introduce myself._

_ Once I got close enough, I saw she was looking at a jar of honey with wide, fascinated eyes. "You've never seen honey before?" I asked, startling her. She turned to me, and I could have dropped dead right there. She was unnaturally beautiful; her hair was curled and carefully placed under a blue hat that matched her dress. Her green eyes were lined with dark, feather-like lashes which contrasted greatly against her pale skin._

_ "I have no idea what it could be used for," she replied softly, smiling shyly. She seemed uncomfortable with her surroundings, like something was going to jump out and grab her at any moment._

_ "You're new to Mystic Falls, aren't you?" I asked, taking the jar from her hands and setting back on the shelf. _

_ "How did you guess?" she asked._

_ "I always remember a beautiful face," I replied, smirking. "I'm Damon Salvatore." I carefully grasped her hand, and kissed the back of it gently._

_ "I'm Miranda Arlington. It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Salvatore." She smiled._

_ "The pleasure is mine."_

Elena walked off to go and talk to some of her little friends. Miranda walked closer to Stefan and me.

"Do you think he's here?" she asked.

"Give it some time, he'll show up," I replied.

"Damon, I don't want you messing around tonight," Stefan scolded. "Keep an eye out for the guy, ok?"

"What did I do?" I scoffed. "I'm on my best behavior tonight."

"Just stay focused, please?" Stefan asked. He walked off to go join Elena, and left me with Miranda.

"I'm going to go check the bathroom, he could be hiding in there," she said. "_Any_ creep could be hiding in there." She walked off in the directions of the bathrooms, and I watched her go.

For a few minutes, I looked around the room, watching the humans dance and kiss and laugh. It was nauseating. I spotted Caroline and the witch standing at a table drinking punch, and walked over; might as well have some fun.

"Hi Bonnie," I said with a false smile. "Wanna dance?"

"I'm out of here," Bonnie sneered.

"Please give me another chance." I pleaded, and Bonnie just scoffed and left.

"Back off Damon," Caroline sneered at me. Jeez, what had I done to her? Oh, wait…

"Where did they go?" Elena's voice broke me from my thoughts and I turned around to see her and Stefan holding hands.

"I don't know," I replied.

"What did you say to them?" Stefan asked. I rolled my eyes; how come I'm always to blame?

"I was perfectly polite." I replied. "Elena? Would _you_ like to dance?"

"I would love to," Elena answered, causing me to smirk at Stefan. Elena then turned to Stefan.

"May I have this dance?" she asked Stefan. They walk off, and Elena had an annoying little smile on her face. This was the absolute lowest I could get.

"Oh, shut down!" I heard Miranda laugh behind me. I turned to her and saw her smiling. I rolled my eyes; it was like a never-ending dance between us. I would taunt her, she would taunt me.

"You're losing your skills," she said, walking closer to me.

"I don't need you to tease me," I sighed. "Would you like to dance with me?"

"Fine," she replied, "but it's a pity dance." I growled and pulled her into my arms. She placed her arms around my neck as we swayed; mine were circled around her waist.

"I can just see you wearing a poodle skirt and doing the jitterbug," I teased.

"Nope, I was hanging in smoky jazz clubs with my boyfriend," she replied. I suddenly felt jealousy creep into me.

"Hmm, boyfriend? Was he as handsome as me?" I asked.

"He was cute, but he was a great, caring guy. He was the drummer at the Swing on Willow. We broke it off when I wanted to leave town; we kept in touch though. He was a good friend."

"Where is he now?" I asked, almost choking on my words.

"He passed away last year. Wife, kids, grandkids. He did well for himself." The song ended and she pulled herself out of my arms.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

Damon and I stood watching the crowd; I held a cup of punch in my hand, taking small sips of it occasionally. A man in a varsity jacket walked over and began talking to Damon.

"I don't recognize you two. How did you get roped into chaperoning?" he asked.

"Huh?" Damon looked over, realizing the man was talking to him.

"Alaric Saltzman, I'm the new history teacher." He and Damon shook hands and I looked over at him. I smiled and waved.

"Oh, the cursed faculty position." Damon stated.

"So I've been told," Alaric replied.

"I'm Damon…Salvatore. And this," Damon took my hand and laced my fingers with his. "This is my girlfriend, Miranda." I took an untimed sip of punch, and I nearly choked on it. God, he was great a coming up with crap on the spot and annoying me beyond recognition, and he knew it.

"Salvatore, as in Stefan?" Alaric asked.

"Yeah, he's my little brother, I'm his legal guardian. Hence the chaperoning."

"I hear he's very bright; not that I've had a chance to see for myself," Alaric said.

"Well, his attendance record is a little spotty. Family drama."

"No parents?" Alaric asked.

"It's just the two of us now."

"So you live here your whole life?" Uh oh.

"On and off." Damon said quickly. "Travel a bit.

"Really? Where?" This guy was poking the bear, something was fishy. "Around the states?" Damon glared at him.

"Sorry I'm nosy, I don't mean to pry. It was nice meeting you; enjoy the rest of the dance." Alaric walked away. I pulled my hand out of Damon's and stomped on his foot lightly, causing him to almost loose his balance.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I asked. Damon laughed and looked over at me.

"Ah, you should have seen your face. Priceless."

"You are _such_ a dick." I sneered at him, and walked off towards Elena and Stefan, who had stopped dancing.

"Anything yet?" Stefan asked. I shook my head and looked out at the dancing students. After a few minutes, Damon passed us, dancing flamboyantly with some blonde.

"You really can't take him anywhere, can you?" Elena asked incredulously.

"Uh, no." Stefan replied. Elena looked around and then got a shocked look on her face.

"Look, back corner." We both looked over to see some guy wearing a black hoodie.

"Miranda, go get Damon," I nodded and we both walked off. I pushed my way through the crowd to find Damon. I found him dancing with a group of girls.

"Uh, Damon?" I called.

"What is it? Here to ruin my fun?" he asked.

"Stefan found the guy," I replied. He looked up and stopped dancing.

"Sorry ladies, duty calls," he told them and we ran to find Elena wasn't standing where I left her. We started going down the halls to find where she went; there was a scream and we ran towards it. Stefan had thrown the guy to the floor as we got to the room, and Damon picked up the broken mop handle on the floor.

"Hey, dick head," Damon said to get the guy's attention. "We don't want to kill you, we just want to talk." I could see the look in the guys eyes; a mixture of terror and determination.

"Don't do something stupid," I warned him. He started to run towards Elena, and Damon threw the mop handle to Stefan. Just as the guy got close, Stefan staked him in the stomach and the guy fell to his knees.

"Now do you feel like talking?" Stefan asked.

"Screw you," the guy choked out, and Stefan pushed the stake further into his abdomen. Elena's face was contorted with shock and disgust.

"Wrong answer," Stefan growled. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because it's fun," the guy almost laughed, earning him another push of the stake.

"What do you want with Elena?"

"She looks like Katherine," he answered.

"You knew Katherine?" Damon asked.

"Aw, you thought you were the only ones. You don't even remember me?"

"You realize you're walking on a thin wire." I told him.

"I don't care what you can do to me, Miranda. I'm suffering as it is." The guy laughed and smiled, showing his bloody teeth. How did this guy know who _I_ was?

"How do you get into the tomb?" Damon asked desperately. Hold on a second, what tomb?

"The Grimoire," he choked out.

"Where is it?" Damon pressed on. When the guy wouldn't talk, Stefan tortured him even more. I turned away from them, unable to watch anymore. It brought back too many memories.

"Check the journal," the guy groaned. "The journal. Jonathan Gilbert's journal!"

"Who else is working with you?" I asked, my voice echoing loudly throughout the room.

"No," he sighed. "You're going to have to kill me." After a few seconds, I heard them push the stake through his heart, and Elena began to hyperventilate. I turned and put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"He had to die," Damon said.

"Elena, he was invited in." Stefan added. There were some footsteps outside, and Damon went to see what was going on.

Elena left to go calm down as Stefan and I took care of the dead guy. "Stefan," I began. "If I asked you a question, you would tell the truth, right?"

"Of course," Stefan replied as we carried the guy out of the building.

"What tomb was Damon talking about?" I heard Stefan inhale sharply.

"Uh, Miranda, I don't think—"

"Please, tell me Stefan."

"There's a tomb under the ruins of Fell's Church. Emily magically sealed it in 1864."

"What's inside?" I asked as we dumped the body into the forest.

"Katherine and 26 other vampires." I felt my heart squeeze. I smiled at Stefan and turned around.

"Miranda, where are you going?" Stefan asked.

"Goodnight Stefan. Tell Elena to have a good night." I didn't look back at him as I ran home in a flash.

**A/N: So now Miranda knows about the tomb. I hope you enjoyed it. I won't be revealing who the mystery caller was yet, but I will soon enough, along with Miranda and Damon's past, and the things that made her leave Mystic Falls the first time. You just have to be patient.**


	8. Playing With Fire

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Damon's POV**

I was happy; I didn't know why, though. I shouldn't be completely happy until Katherine was out of the tomb and with me, but I was. Maybe it was because Stefan agreed to help me look for the Grimoire; he _did_ want the other 26 vampires dead, and "Big Bad Damon" gone. It was the least I could do for him for helping me.

I walked down the street quickly and I pulled out my phone. The lovebirds were still asleep at home, and I didn't want to interrupt that…yet. I went down to Miranda's name on my contacts list (I might have stolen her phone and exchanged our numbers without her knowing) and pressed the Call button.

I waited three rings until she picked up; "why do I have your number in my phone?" Miranda whispered.

"Why are you talking like you're in a church?"

"It's because I am in a church Damon," she replied in a "duh" tone.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"It's ten minutes east of Mystic Falls. But don't—" I hung up on her and ran back home to drive to this "church". She was probably at an IHOP or a hair salon or something. I did exactly what she said; ten minutes east outside Mystic Falls. There was no church so far; there was nothing. It took me a second to pass by a small sign, and I had to make a U-turn to go back and check.

"I guess I was wrong," I said aloud, as I drove down a small one lane road, past a sign for a church with an early Saturday morning choir rehearsal. There were five cars parked in the vast parking lot; a sedan, 2 soccer mom minivans, a pick-up, and Miranda's SUV. I carefully parked next to it and got out of my car.

The hot morning sun was beating down on everything and I quickly ran over to the entrance to the church. My ears were suddenly hit with a bunch of voices trying to warm up that were obviously off-key. I looked into the chapel and saw the owners of said voices—a bunch of kids and adults sitting at the front of the church.

Miranda was sitting in the middle row pews, reading from a book. I walked over to her and sat down next to her.

"I thought I told you not to come here," Miranda whispered.

"Do you really expect me to listen?" I asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Reflecting, repenting, praying, contemplating," she didn't look up from the book. I looked over to see that it was a book full of hymns.

"So what? You went to confession and said a few prayers like a good little girl?"

"No, but I like to sit and listen to the choir. They help me think about all the things I've done." She closed the book and turned to look at me. "Why didn't you tell me about the tomb? I've been here for a few weeks and you haven't stopped bothering me, so what made you keep it a secret?"

"Come on, don't you think that it would be a good surprise for you to see Katherine after all these years. A little bonding between old friends?" I asked.

"Katherine Pierce was never my friend," Miranda sneered. "I tried to be civil towards her, but she wouldn't return the gesture. She even tried to kill me a few times."

"Ok, I know Katherine didn't like you, but she didn't hate you. You barely ever talked to each other; why would she try to kill you?"

"That is between Katherine and me. On another subject, I'd like to help you," Miranda said, shocking me.

"What?" I asked. "Why would you want to help me? What's in it for you?"

"I'm assuming Stefan already made a deal with you to kill the other 26 vampires?" Miranda asked, and I nodded. "Then I want to make a deal with you as well." This wasn't childish, happy Miranda, this was serious Miranda. Her tone was strong and even, and she wanted to get her point across.

"What is it?" I asked.

"If you can open the tomb—"

"When." I told her.

"Fine, when you open the tomb and get Katherine out of there, leave me alone. Get out of Mystic Falls, don't come to say goodbye, and don't call me. In 20 years, if you see me walking down the street in New York or Paris, walk the other way."

"Why?" I asked. Every word that came out of her mouth shocked me. Miranda wouldn't ask something like that from me; we were…friends? We were something to each other, even if it was just someone to annoy. For some reason, I didn't want to let her out of my life again. Why was I feeling this way?

"I don't have a problem with you Damon. You're…kind of alright in my book. Maybe I had some bad feelings towards you before, but I'm fine now. Katherine, on the other hand, is always going to be on my "ignore list". I don't want to be in the same room with her longer than I have to be."

"I understand," I whispered, even though I didn't.

"I'll help you open the tomb if you make that promise," Miranda's voice was shaky.

"Ok," I said, looking into her eyes.

"Say it."

"I promise," I whispered, fighting back the tears that stung my eyes. I reached over and pushed Miranda's hair behind her ear. She gave me a small smile before getting up from the pew.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Let's go," she began. "We have a tomb to open." There was determination in her voice as she smiled at me. Happy Miranda was back, and for some reason I was glad to have her on my side.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"So this is where you live?" I asked, staring up at the Salvatore Boarding House. It was huge, and I wanted to giggle with glee. I had parked behind Damon in the driveway in front of the house.

"Yep, home sweet home," Damon replied. He led the way to the front door and into the house. "Don't make too much noise. I'm sure the lovebirds are still in bed, and I want to be the one to ruin their "bonding" time." I rolled my eyes. He took my jacket and hung it on a coat rack by the door along with my purse.

"Why are you being such a gentlemen all of a sudden?" I asked.

"I've always been a gentlemen, it's how I was raised," Damon smirked and led me up the stairs. I scoffed and he turned and put a finger to his lips, signaling to be quiet. We got to a door at the end of the hall, a door that I assumed was to Stefan's room, and Damon walked in boisterously.

"Rise and shine sleepyheads!" Damon said happily. I walked into the room and saw Stefan and Elena together in bed with only a sheet covering them.

"Damon, are you kidding me?" I asked.

"Damon, please!" Elena scolded, lifting the sheet to cover her better.

"Miranda what are you doing here too?" Stefan asked. I smiled shyly and looked away.

"Stop being so smutty," Damon said.

"Seriously, both of you get out of here," Stefan exclaimed.

"If I see something I haven't seen before, I'll throw a dollar at it." I rolled my eyes at Damon's comment. "Now listen. Here's some very important business to discuss."

"Does it really need to be right now, Damon?" I asked. "Can't they get dressed first?"

"Hush, you. We have lots to do. Now that we're all friends and working toward a common goal." Damon said to me before continuing.

"So, in order to open the tomb, we need to find the journal, to get the grimoire, to undo the spell. So, first things first, since you are Elena _Gilbert_, you're on journal duty."

"Since when am I helping?" Elena asked.

"Well, Stefan's helping, and you've taken up residence in Stefan's bed, ergo..."

"You don't have to anything you don't want to do." Stefan said to Elena.

"I'll look for it today."

"Good." Damon smiled slyly.

"How do we know that this journal will hold the location of the grimoire? Are we really going to take the word of this vampire? He seemed like a bit of a dimwit." Stefan asked.

"I don't think there are any other options," I interrupted. "He's the only lead we have."

"See, Miranda get's the point." Damon said.

"Ok, since when are you helping?" Stefan asked me.

"Since she and I had a little church chat," Damon smugly informed him.

"What exactly is a grimoire anyways?" Elena asked, getting back into the conversation.

"It's a witch's cookbook." Damon crossed his arms, expecting Stefan to take over the explanation.

"Every spell that a witch casts is unique unto itself, so every witch would document their work..."

"Yeah. Cookbook."

"What about our mystery vampire? "Dimwit" obviously wasn't working alone. So, whoever's out there knows who we are."

"And I don't like that disadvantage. So chop chop!" Damon smiled and turned towards me so we could leave. "You know I like this whole foursome teamwork thing. It's got a bit of a kink to it. Don't screw it up!"

Damon got to the door and turned me around. He pushed me back out into the hall and walked me back downstairs. "You're a creep, you know that?" I asked him.

"Ah, but only _I_ can be creepy and a genius at the same time," Damon replied. He pushed me into the library and threw a book at me. "Start reading," he said.

* * *

**Stefan's POV**

I sat with Elena in her kitchen. She was digging through a box of old family things to try and find the journal.

"Do you think Damon really believes us? That we're both trying to help him?"

"I don't think Damon knows what to believe. Trust isn't something that comes naturally to him." I replied.

"You know, I really think that Damon thinks that everything he's done, every move that he's made, he's done for love." Elena looked through a book of old photos. "It's twisted but kind of sad."

"There are other ways to get what you want; you don't have to kill people." I began. "Damon has no regard for human life. He enjoys inflicting pain on others. For 145 years, every single time that I have let my guard down and let Damon back into my life he's done something to make me regret that. I'm not going to make that mistake again."

"So what do you think will happen when the tomb gets opened and Damon gets Katherine back?" Elena asked.

"I think that no matter what Damon promises, a lot of people will die."

"But what about Miranda. Why do you think she's helping him?" Elena looked genuinely confused.

"Miranda has lived a long life, but she's…innocent. I think she's helping Damon with good intentions." I said. "Miranda is very honest and good hearted. She only wants the best for everyone."

"She seems like such a nice person. What's with her and Damon?"

"That's a long story, and it isn't mine to tell. Maybe she'll tell you when this tomb thing blows over." Elena put the album back into the box and pulled out a photo of Jonathan Gilbert. I walked over and we continued to look through the stuff. We found an old muzzle that the Founders used on vampires to keep them at bay.

Jeremy walked in and Elena asked him about the journal. Jeremy said that he gave it to Mr. Saltzman, the new history teacher.

As I headed towards the school, I thought about what Elena had asked. Miranda and Damon; it was and wasn't Damon's fault that Miranda had left Mystic Falls. I hadn't even remembered anything until I came across Miranda again in the 50's. I had spent almost 70 years loathing Miranda for breaking Damon's heart. And then I remembered everything.

_ I walked out of our house; father had asked for me to find where Damon had disappeared to. He wanted to have a conversation with him. I suspected that he went to see Miranda. He had only been back for two weeks, but they hadn't seen much of each other._

_ I went to the stables to get my horse when I heard Damon's voice. _

_ "I don't love you, I never loved you." I walked around the side of the stable and followed it. There I saw Miranda sobbing quietly, leaning against the trunk of a tree. She looked weak and filled with sorrow. Damon was pacing in front of her, pulling something out of his pocket._

_ "Sometimes, I wish that you could leave, and I would never see you again. But right now, I wish that you were dead." He pulled a matchbox out and took a single match, leaning over Miranda slowly._

_ "Wish granted," Damon sneered. Before he could strike the match, I intervened._

_ "Damon, what are you doing?" Damon turned to look at me immediately, and Miranda took the moment to punch him in the face, effectively knocking him out cold. _

_ I ran over to her and helped her stand up; she was sobbing more now and I held her in my arms. What was Damon doing; what could he possibly be thinking?_

_ "Calm down Miranda, everything is going to be fine." I comforted her._

_ "No, everything is _not_ going to be fine. It's her, Stefan, she's doing this to him. I can't stay here if she's trying to kill me."_

_ "What are you talking about? Just take a deep breath and everything will be ok." Before I could say anything else, Miranda pushed me away. _

_ "Go home, and make sure Damon is safely inside. Stefan, you're my friend, and I love your brother, but I can't do this anymore. I can't stay in Mystic Falls." She backed away from me and then ran. I didn't understand what she was talking about. I watched her run, and then all of a sudden, she disappeared._

_ I tried to wake Damon up so I could get back to the house, but before I was able to, I heard a voice._

_ ""You're my friend, I love Damon," blah, blah, blah. Is it just me, or is Miranda being very…whiney."_

_ I turned around and saw Katherine standing there, a scowl marring her features._

_ "What are you doing here Katherine?" I asked. She walked up to me slowly, placing her hands on my shoulders. She stared at me in the eye, and she spoke slowly._

_ "You're going to forget about everything you just saw tonight. You walked outside to find Damon, and brought him home because he was feeling sick."_

**A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter. Another look into the past…hmm. Let me know what you think!**


	9. Dinner and a Showdown

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

"Why am I doing this again?" I asked as I pulled the pan out of the oven and placed it on the counter. Damon was sitting on one of the kitchen stools watching me.

"Because I didn't have fresh blueberries," Damon replied.

"You know what I mean," I chastised.

"Listen, if we're going to go to "family dinner" at Elena's house, we have to stay on Aunt Jenna's good side. I'm going to cook, which means _you_ need to bring some of your homemade shortbread to contribute."

"Excuse me, but I'm not a pompous ass who treats everyone like shit. I don't need to bring baked goods to be on someone's good side." I carefully placed each piece of shortbread onto a spotless blue plate.

"Ugh, why do you take so long? Just put them on the plate and let's go!" Damon said impatiently as I placed a piece of plastic wrap over the plate.

"Presentation is everything," I replied. "Wanna taste?" I lifted up the last piece of shortbread, which wouldn't fit on the plate, over for him to try. He hesitantly took a bite and then was suddenly behind me, pushing my hair off my shoulder and placing his nose against my neck, smelling the blood through my skin.

"It's absolute heaven," he said. "I can only think of one thing better than that."

"And what would that be?" I asked, elbowing him in the stomach to get him away from me.

"Going over to Elena's right now," he smiled and dashed off.

"Sometimes…" I mumbled, picking up the plate and walking over to the door where Damon was waiting with his keys, holding the door open for me.

Damon, Jenna and I were in the kitchen of Elena's house about an hour later, Jeremy was sitting in the living room playing video games. He obviously didn't want to hang out with the grown-ups. Jenna and I were sitting on the kitchen counter drinking red wine while Damon cooked.

"So how do you two know each other? I thought I invited you both separately and then you show up together." Jenna asked.

"You know, you bump into someone somewhere and then you just…click instantly," Damon smirked, looking over at me.

"Are you two dating?" Jenna asked.

"No," Damon and I said simultaneously.

"Alright, point taken." Jenna said, holding her hands up in defeat.

"My father never approved of anyone I dated," Damon said. "Except for one girl. It was very real with her, but she broke my heart." Damon looked over at me as he said this. "What about you Jenna?"

"There were a few guys; Logan Fell isn't the only loser I've dated."

"Is he still missing?" Damon asked.

"He's not missing, he's in the Bahamas working on his tan. Very entitled that one; marches to his own drum. He's a Fell, their all snooty."

"Hello Elena," Damon greeted. Jenna and I turned around to see Elena coming downstairs.

"Hey Elena, come join the party." I added.

"Where've you been?" Jenna asked. "We're cooking dinner."

"Is Stefan with you?" Damon asked.

"Um, he'll be here soon," Elena gave him a look. I knew that look; it was the "what are you up to" look.

"Going to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back." Jenna jumped off the counter and ran out of the kitchen.

Elena went over to one of the cabinets and pulled out a bunch of plates. Damon purposefully bumped into her as she walked over to the table. I rolled my eyes.

"Don't do that," Elena scoffed.

"Do what?" Damon asked innocently. I took a sip of my wine, enjoying the show.

"You know what, that move was deliberate."

"Well, yeah. I was deliberately trying to get to the sink." Damon defended himself. "Speaking of Stefan—"

"We weren't speaking of Stefan." I informed him.

"Well, now we are. Where is he? He's missing family night, which I am enjoying immensely."

"Yeah right," I muttered, earning a glare from Damon. I shrugged and smiled at him.

"Is it real?" Damon asked.

"Is what real?" Elena looked over to him.

"This…renewed sense of brotherhood? Can I trust him?"

"Yes, you can trust him." Elena walked off. Damon then appeared behind her.

"Can I trust him?" he asked quietly.

"I'm wearing vervain Damon," Elena stated. "It's not going to work."

"I'm not compelling you; I just want you to answer me…honestly."

"Of course you can," Elena replied.

Damon zoned out for a while, obviously in deep thought and I help Elena set the table. "Why are _you_ helping him, Miranda?" Elena asked as she set forks at every place setting.

"Ask me again when all this is over; maybe I'll have a proper answer for you then." I smiled and began folding napkins.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"There was I time when I trusted him more than anyone," I told Elena when Miranda left the room to take a phone call.

"Trust breeds trust;" Elena told me. "You have to give it to get it."

"Are you lecturing me?" I asked.

"Do you need to be lectured?" Elena retorted.

"I just want her back; I'm sure you understand that."

"I can understand that you would do anything for her, yes."

"Then you understand what I will do if anyone gets in my way," I replied darkly. Elena walked back into the kitchen and unwrapped the plate Miranda brought.

"What about Miranda?" Elena asked. I didn't know how to answer that question.

"I wish we wouldn't have this conversation, because it is a long story." I told her.

"Fine, wish granted." Elena said, walking out of the room with a sigh.

_I stared at Miranda, who was shaking violently as she sobbed.__ "Sometimes, I wish that you could leave, and I would never see you again. But right now," I reached into my pocket and pulled out a matchbox. "Right now, I wish that you were dead." I took out a single match and leaned over her small form._

"_Wish granted," I sneered at her._

Where the hell did that come from? It couldn't have been a memory, or was it? I shook my head and walked over to the couch where Jeremy was at, deciding that it was a figment of my imagination.

"Can I play?" I asked, sitting next to him and picking up the second controller.

"Uh, sure." Jeremy said. "Hold on a second. You played before?"

"Nope, never." I replied. He quickly switched the game to multiplayer mode and I became focused with the game. Immediately I began annihilating him in it.

"You said you've never played this before?" he whined.

"I'm a fast learner," I told him. "Quick reflexes." A phone began ringing and Jeremy paused the game. He looked over at his phone and Miranda was suddenly sitting next to me.

"What was that?" I asked her.

"Issues I would rather not talk about," she replied. "Having fun?" Jeremy turned the game back on and I became engrossed in it again.

"Who're you dodging?" I asked.

"This girl Anna," he began. "She can be…uh, persistent."

"Is she hot?"

"Planning on robbing the cradle Damon?" Miranda whispered.

"You're one to talk." I whispered back.

"Yeah, but she could be weird," Jeremy answered.

"Hot trumps weird, trust me." I told him. I could hear Jenna and Elena whispering in the kitchen.

"He's ridiculously hot!" Jenna exclaimed.

"Shh, he's an ass." I rolled my eyes at Elena's response.

"You know she's right." Miranda told me.

"Jenna or Elena?" I asked.

"Both. You know you're hot, and you're an ass about it."

"You know I don't trust you, right?" I informed her.

"Yeah, but I don't trust you either, so I think we're even." The doorbell rang and I stopped the game to go get the door with Elena.

"Dude!" Jeremy yelled as I got up. Elena opened the door and saw me; his face was filled with confusion.

"Well?" I asked. Stefan just stood there, watching the two of us.

"Can I speak with you outside?" he said.

"Sure. Miranda!" I called inside.

"Yeah?"

"Group huddle, outside."

"Gotcha," she replied and was at the door in an instant. "What's up?"

"The journal's gone," Stefan said.

"Who took it?" I asked, incredibly pissed. The one shot at finding the Grimoire and it disappears.

"I don't know," Stefan grumbled.

"You know who it was?" I began. "It was that teacher; there's something really off about him."

"No," Stefan replied. "He doesn't know anything about it. Somebody got to it right before me."

"Well, who else knew it was there?" Miranda asked. Stefan looked back inside the house at Jeremy. Of course the kid would have known about it. I began to walk back inside; maybe I could shake the answers out of him.

"No Damon, leave him alone. He's just a kid." Miranda said, following me.

"What's the big deal?" I asked. We went back inside and I immediately got on the case.

"So, I heard you found a really _cool_ journal from back in the day. Who else did you show it to?"

"Huh?" It was like talking to a goldfish; this was going nowhere.

"Don't ask questions, just spill." I knew Miranda was about to say something to I stuck my hand in her face to shut her up.

"Jer, did you tell anyone besides Mr. Saltzman about Jonathan Gilbert's journal?" Elena asked.

"Why is everybody so obsessed with that thing?" Jeremy asked in return.

"Who else did you tell?"

"Just that girl Anna," he answered.

"The hot-weird one?" I asked and Jeremy nodded.

"Wait," Stefan, the eternally lost one. "Who's Anna?"

"That's what I want to find out." I turned to Jeremy. "How do you know her?"

"I just know her," Jeremy evaded. "She wants me to meet her at the Grill tonight." The phone began ringing and Elena left to answer it.

"Perfect!" I exclaimed. "I'll drive come on. Miranda, you're with me. We need a chaperone." Miranda groaned and walked with us out the door.

We got into the car, and Miranda sat in the backseat. Her phone illuminated the inside of the car brightly as she texted someone.

"Who are you texting?" I asked. Ok, I was being nosy, but I told her I didn't trust her, so she should understand.

"None of your business," she sing-songed.

"All of my business," I mimicked her.

"Are you two always like this?" Jeremy asked.

"I don't know, we only just met," Miranda replied. I knew she was smirking.

When we got to the Grill, Miranda left to go hunt, leaving me to see who _Anna_ was. Ugh, I didn't like stake outs; they were boring and all I had was booze to pass the time. When I saw her, I was hit with a ton of bricks. The realization was instant; little apothecary girl Anna was a vampire.

I left and waited for her at her hotel room for her to get back. Once she entered the room, I pinned her to the wall; my hand around her throat, hers around mine. Neither us would back down and I was starting to get annoyed.

"Alright, I give." We both let go and I coughed a few times. It was like dealing with Miranda again; she was small yet powerful. The only difference was that Miranda looked fragile and innocent at first glance; Anna looked dark and brooding.

We spent about a half-hour talking about her little plans. She asked for my help, stating she wanted to open the tomb too.

"Sorry," I told her. "I work alone."

" Is that what you call having Miranda Arlington on your side? Working alone?" I rolled my eyes and left the hotel. I returned to my car and wound Miranda sitting on the hood, talking on the phone.

"No, I understand. I have to go now. I hate you too, bye." She jumped off the hood and got in the car.

"Where to now?" she asked.

"How do you feel about grave digging?" I asked. Miranda groaned and leaned her head against the seat.

"Stop being such a princess," I told her.

"I don't care about getting dirty," she replied as we drove down a dark road. "It's taboo to dig up dead people."

"Like I care about taboo," I scoffed.

"There are vampires and witches roaming around the world; taboo could be real too."

"You sound like my father with the superstitious talk." I laughed.

"Hmmm…weren't he and the others on the council right about everything?" she asked. I didn't answer her.

We got to the part of the forest where the cemetery was at and we both got out of the car. We walked through the dark and then arrived at my father's grave; I wasn't surprised to see Elena and Stefan already there.

"Well what do you know?" I said aloud, causing the two of them to shine their flashlights on Miranda and I. "This is an interesting turn of events."

"I can't let you bring her back Damon," Stefan admitted. "I'm sorry."

"So am I," I replied. "For thinking, for even a second, that I could trust you."

"You are not capable or trust. The fact that you're here means that you read the journal and you were planning on doing this yourself."

"Of course I was going to do it by myself…with the help of little Miranda here." I sneered at him. "But even so, the only one I can count on is me. You made sure of that many years ago Stefan." I looked over his shoulder at Elena.

"But you, you had me fooled. Isn't that sad?" I continued. "The only person I can vaguely trust besides myself is the girl who broke me." I turned to Miranda who stared at us with wide eyes, just as she always did.

_I pinned Miranda to the floor, holding a stake above me to drive through her heart; her hand was wrapped around my wrist, preventing me from moving . Her eyes were wide and glazing rapidly with tears._

I ignored the sight that passed through my mind; I didn't care what it was. I had to deal with the matter at hand.

"So what are you going to do, because if you try and destroy that, I'll rip her heart out."

"Damon, don't—" Miranda's voice was soft.

"Enough from the Moral Patrol tonight!" I yelled at her.

"You won't kill her." Stefan said, sure of himself. I nodded at him, and I suddenly was behind Elena, holding her so she couldn't move.

"I can do one better," I said. I bit into my wrist and forced Elena to drink my blood. "Give me the book Stefan, or I'll snap her neck and you and I will have vampire girlfriends." I looked over to Miranda to see her quickly shaking her head. There was…disappointment in her eyes.

"Let her go first," Stefan pleaded.

"The book," I demanded.

"I'm not going to give this to you until she is standing next to me."

"The problem is," I began. "Is that I no longer trust that you'll give it back!"

"You just did the one thing that ensures that I will." We both stared at each other, waiting for someone to make a move.

"Give it to me," Miranda's voice broke the silence. Stefan and I both stared at her. "Give me the book, then you give Elena to him. I promise I'll give the book to you, Damon. Please."

"You broke a promise to me once, Miranda." I yelled at her.

"Once," she yelled. "But it had a good enough reason to be broken." She looked at Stefan and nodded. He carefully handed her the Grimoire and she began to take steps over towards me. I released Elena and let her walk over to Stefan. He pulled her into his grasp and then they quickly left.

Miranda handed me the book, and was about to turn and leave, but I grasped her hand in mine. She looked back to me, tears escaping her green eyes. "Don't go," I choked out. "I don't want you to go."

"You told me you didn't trust me, Damon." Miranda began slowly. "But right now, I'm the only one who's going to help you. I'm the only assurance you have that your plan _might _work. Don't shut me out." She reached up to wipe her tears away and I nodded.

"Come on, I'll take you home," I told her. We walked together, hand in hand, to the car, and while I drove, I noticed Miranda had fallen asleep in the passenger's seat. I remembered her car was at still at the Boarding House, so I took her there instead, planning to wake her up so she could get herself home.

When we got there, I leaned over to her and shook her. "Miranda, it's time to wake up." She groaned and turned to face me. I shook her again and she slapped my hand away.

"No," she said groggily. "Duffel bag…backseat…emergency…flight to Indiana…not boarding yet." I could barely make out anything she said. She was mumbling like a lunatic.

"Alright, you can stay here," I ran around to the other side of the car and picked her up carefully. I could hear her phone go off in her pocket as I placed her on the couch. I was about to get it when she mumbled again. "Duffel bag…backseat…attention please …safety instructions…not boarding yet." I got the hint. She had a duffel bag in the back seat of her car; the rest just creeped me out a little bit. I ran outside and I found the plain black duffel bag—which was filled with stuff—sitting alone in the backseat of her car.

I brought it in just as the phone rang again, I rushed over and looked at the screen. _NOT TIME 2 DIE YET. CANT KILL U_. The number wasn't on her contacts list, and it wasn't on any recent lists. This couldn't have been the person she had been talking with the entire night.

I shook my head and I placed the phone on the coffee table and sat in the armchair across from the couch. I began looking through the pages of the Grimoire, reading slowly.

**A/N: Hope you enjoy it! Miranda **_**might **_**just have a few tricks up her sleeve, and a few things she isn't ready to share with the group yet. ****Let me know what you think!**


	10. Grave Dirt on my Jeans

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

I woke up someplace…ouch! Jesus, my back was killing me. I opened my eyes to find myself in the living room at Damon's place. I was lying down on the couch, and Damon was sitting on the chair across from it, reading from the Grimoire. "Why the hell didn't you take me home?" I asked, effectively grabbing his attention. He looked up and smirked.

"Aren't you a happy person in the morning," Damon said.

"I'm only happy when my back isn't stiff from sleeping on strange couches," I replied, sitting up. My back cracked a few times as I stretched; normally, vampires don't have to worry about things like that, but I was sick when I was a human, and some of the fragility carried on into my vampire life.

"So why am I here?" I asked. "I remember you saying that you would take me home."

"You fell asleep in my car as we were driving, and I thought I would be nice and let you sleep. Your bag is behind the couch," Damon returned his attention to the Grimoire.

"What bag?"

"The one from your car; you were mumbling about it and something about a flight to Indiana. Oh, and you have a new text on your phone." This got my attention immediately.

"Did you read it?" I asked.

"No," he replied avoiding my gaze.

"Did you read it?" I asked, slowly this time. Damon looked me straight in the eye.

"No, I didn't read your precious little message." I picked up my phone from the table and saw **1 UNREAD MESSAGE** flashing on the screen. I stood up and my spine cracked some more; then I walked over to get my bag.

"Where's your bathroom?" I asked.

"Around the corner, by the stairs." Damon muttered. I walked down the hall and into the bathroom, and opened my bag to change my clothes. I always kept an emergency bag in my car, just in case I wanted to make a quick getaway.

I removed my clothes and immediately saw the grave dirt on the jeans I had been wearing. I put on a cute ivory colored blouse with black trim, a pair of black cuffed shorts (with some black crochet circle tights underneath), and black strappy heels with silver buckles.

I picked up my phone and checked the message. _NOT TIME 2 DIE YET. CANT KILL U._ I smiled and put the phone in my pocket; today was starting to look like it was in my favor.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I sat quietly, reading the Grimoire and waiting for Miranda to come back from the bathroom. I lied to her; so what? I didn't get the meaning of the message, so I just lied. No harm, no foul. She doesn't know I read it, and she won't blow her top.

"I got grave dirt on my jeans and my shoes," Miranda said, her voice slightly angry.

"I thought you didn't care about getting dirty," I stated.

"I don't care about dirt, I care about grave dirt. A grave that is still open, by the way." She sat back down on the couch and crossed her legs. I looked up and saw she was back in sexy secretary mode. Even though I teased her about it, she looked hot.

"Anna took Elena," Stefan said, panicky and quick as he entered the room.

"Yeah," I replied. "I got that from your 600 voicemails."

"Damon, all night long, down every street, I've been searching. What if your blood hasn't passed out of her system?"

"Well at least you know you'll see her again."

"Please," Stefan begged. "What do you know? You were with Anna, you must know where she's living. Just tell me where I can find her."

"No, you can go now."

"Miranda," Stefan turned. "You were with Damon, don't you—"

"I waited at the car, sorry." There was something else in her voice, something hidden.

"Damon," he turned back again. "All I can remember is hating you. There may been a time when that was different, but your choices have erased anything good about you. I also know that you have just as much reason to hate me. This all began with me. Katherine got taken away from you because of me... and I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted," I whispered.

"So please tell me what you know. It's Elena, Damon, if you know something, tell me."

"I mean this sincerely," I got up and faced him. "I hope Elena dies." I began to walk out of the room. As soon as Stefan left to go upstairs, Miranda followed me. She punched me in the arm, and scoffed at me.

"What the hell? Are you really that much of an ass?" Miranda asked.

"Are you on his side now, Miranda? Because if you are, I'll ask you to leave too."

"I'm not taking sides. I'm talking about the "I hope Elena dies" thing. Your brother is worried and I know what he did was wrong, going behind your back like that, but you don't say that you hope someone dies." Miranda had a frown on her face. "That's the worst thing you could possibly say to anyone.

_"Sometimes, I wish that you could leave, and I would never see you again. But right now," My voice was steady and calm as I spoke to her. "Right now, I wish that you were dead."_

"I doubt that you'll be able to use that grimoire by yourself, because you aren't a witch. Are there any witches in town that you know of?"

"I have one in mind," I said. We left the house and headed over to see if Bonnie was at home. Along the way, I explained the necklace and comet thing to Miranda.

"Sounds like this Bonnie really hates you. How do you know she'll help you?" Miranda asked as we walked up the steps of the house.

"I hope I can charm my way back into her heart," I gave her a big smile as I knocked on the door. An old woman who held a resemblance to Bonnie opened the door.

"Yes?" she asked, eying Miranda and I warily.

"Hi, there. I'm looking for Bonnie," I said.

"She's not here," the woman replied dryly.

"Do you know when she would be—"

"Never," she interrupted.

"You've quite an opinion for someone who doesn't know who me."

"You've got some nerve knocking on a Bennett witch's door and asking her for anything."

"What did I do?" I asked. How come people didn't know me were always against me. It was like the world was against me.

"Spirits talk Mr. Salvatore, and so does my granddaughter. You are no friend to us, so get off my porch."

"We didn't mean to cause any trouble, we'll be leaving now," Miranda smiled. "Come on Damon." I ignored her and stepped closer to the witch.

"Step outside and say that," I said menacingly. Miranda mumbled something and the witch stared at me furiously. Suddenly there was an intense pain in my head; it was like someone set my brain on fire.

"I am not Bonnie; you don't want to mess with me." She walked back into the house as I was doubled over in pain. As soon as it subsided, I stood up and looked at Miranda incredulously.

"Why didn't you get her when she walked outside?" I asked.

"I know better than to try something with a witch, and so should you." Miranda scoffed and helped me walk down the steps. "Did Katherine teach you anything remotely useful?"

"Come on, Mr. Useless, we have to go save your brother's girlfriend." Miranda walked into the library.

"I'm not going," I told her. I heard the call Stefan got from Anna, and I didn't want to be the responsible one. "And don't be the Moral Patrol again."

"No Moral Patrol, today I'm the Motivation Squad. Let's go," Miranda said.

"I don't like you today," I groaned as she pulled me out of my chair. I reluctantly walked to the town square with Miranda. She got a phone call just as we got there and said she had to take it.

"Have a hot date, or do you just plan on nabbing the entire Gilbert family?" I asked as I sat on the bench next to Anna.

"There's a party, right next to the old cemetery. Isn't that nice of them? Cult of warm bodies for starving vampires." Anna smiled slyly.

"I told you, I work alone."

"Yeah, so do I." Anna replied sarcastically. "You're minus a witch and I'm minus a spellbook. So what do you say?"

"Stefan will come after you, you know that?" I asked. "You know, for messing with Elena."

"Then he won't be too happy if I kill her when I don't get what I want." Anna got up to walk away.

"When do you want to do this?" I asked.

"God, it's like 1864 all over again. You Salvatore's are truly pathetic when it comes to women. Tonight after sundown, we'll meet at the church." Anna said.

I watched Miranda walk towards me with a smile on her face. "What are you so happy about?" I asked.

"Nothing much," she replied, sitting on the bench.

"I swear, with all these phone calls and texts at all hours, I would think your some kind of drug dealer," I teased.

"No, I was a fashion buyer and I hadn't finished closing up some loose ends before getting here. Now, no more calls." Miranda said, smiling.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

As we walked, I tried to keep my smile to myself. What I had told Damon was only partially true. I was a fashion buyer for a boutique for a few years, and I had been in constant contact with my replacement since I moved here, but that wasn't what had made me smile.

Shortly after my call with Shelley (my replacement), I got a text from an old acquaintance. _SHE'S NOT IN THE TOMB._ I had my suspicions since I first heard about the tomb; over the years I had heard Katherine's name being mentioned a few times, but I had always thought she was dead. That was what she wanted everyone to think.

Damon was smiling too, but I think it was because he was excited to be close to getting Katherine back. I didn't want to tell him anything, and possibly get him angry, but I didn't want to see him hurt either. I felt like such a sap; I didn't want the person who hurt me the most, to get hurt himself. My life was such a puzzling thing.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I had come back to the boarding house so I could get the grimoire and we could go wait at the church. Miranda was at her house getting a blood bag to bring with us to the tomb. As much as I liked it fresh, I thought about getting a stock of blood bags to have on hand just in case.

I heard someone walk into the room and turned to see Elena standing there.

"I'm going to have to change the locks," I said. "Did you stage a jailbreak?"

"Stefan," she replied simply.

"Oh brother, ever the white knight." The fireplace cracked loudly.

"I convinced Bonnie to help you," she said.

"I doubt that," I deadpanned.

"I'm not going to say that I'm sorry we got the grimoire without you last night. Because I'm not really.

"Well, at least you're honest," I kidded.

"I was protecting the people I love Damon. But so were you. In your own twisted way, as hard as it is to figure, we're all on the same side, after the same thing." Elena wouldn't understand, she would never understand.

"Not interested," I replied as I began to walk out.

"Yes you are because you were willing to work with us yesterday."

"Fool me once, shame on you," I whispered.

"Okay, when we were in Atlanta, why didn't you use your compulsion on me?"

"Who says I didn't?" I asked her.

"You didn't. I know you didn't. But you could have. You and I... we have something... an understanding, and I know that my betrayal hurt you, different than when it comes from Stefan, but I'm promising that I will help you get Katherine back." Wasn't she the girl with all the speeches.

"I wish I can believe you." I replied. Elena removed her necklace and placed it on the table.

"Ask me if I'm lying now." She said. I walked closer and looked her in the eye. I picked up her necklace and put it back on.

"I didn't compel you in Atlanta because we were having fun, and I wanted it to be real. I'm trusting you." I said. "Don't make me regret it." I was about to leave when she spoke again.

"What about Miranda? Why is she helping you?"

"She wants something from me." I replied.

"What is it?" Elena asked.

"She wants me to leave her alone. She wants me and Katherine to leave Mystic Falls and she never wants to speak to me again."

"But she's your friend," Elena replied.

"She's not my friend. She'll never be _just_ my friend." I motioned for Elena to follow. "Come on, she'll be here in a minute and then we're going."

**A/N: The next chapter is going up in two seconds, so there really isn't much of an author's note. I just needed a way to make a super long chapter into two parts.**


	11. Fueled by Rage

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Damon's POV**

_I knocked on the tall front doors at the Arlington Estate. Robert and Marybeth were gone for the night, at the Council meeting in town. There were a few voices quietly talking from behind the door, and then it opened, revealing Miranda. She wore a dark green dress and holding a small blue book in her hand._

_ "Mr. Salvatore, what are you doing here?" she asked. I knew that she had to put up with the etiquette if she wasn't alone in the house. I could see Mariette, the head of the house, watching us intently. _

_ "I came here to talk to you," I replied. "Alone, if it is possible." Miranda looked back to Mariette, who smiled softly and nodded. I grasped Miranda's hand and she pulled me inside, closing the door lightly. Miranda smiled and I pulled her upstairs to her room. I had been in the house enough times to know where everything was._

_ "Damon what are you—" Miranda began, but I closed her bedroom door and pushed her against it. I placed a finger on her lips to silence her; "Shh. I missed you." I took the book from her hands and threw it away. "It's unfair that we only got to see each other for such a short time the other day, thanks to my father."I twirled one of her curls around my finger after I removed it from her lips. "A year," I said._

_ "A year," she repeated. I leaned forward and pressed my lips gently against hers, afraid she would break. I was always afraid that she would disappear even if I was holding on to her. She pulled away from me and smiled. _

_ Then it was like something clicked in my brain; I took Miranda by the arms and threw her to the floor violently. I reached into my jacket and pulled a stake out of my pocket; I ran over to her and pinned her to the floor. _

"_Damon, don't," she choked out as I held raised the stake up to drive it through her heart. Miranda got her arm free and wrapped her hand around my wrist. Her eyes were wide and glazed with tears, and she tried to blink them away._

_ Miranda looked me in the eye and I was trapped in her gaze. "Drop it," she spoke evenly and calmly. I let go of the stake immediately, and she let go of my wrist. "Get off of me," she spoke again. I moved so I was sitting on the floor next to her; she sat up and took a deep breath. _

_ She moved her hand so it rested against my cheek and sighed. "Who made you do this, Damon?" she asked. I shook my head; my actions felt like they were out of my control._

_ "Who made you do this?" she repeated, her voice loud._

_ "I wanted to kill you," I replied._

_ "Are you lying to me?" she asked. I nodded. "Who told you to come to my house and kill me?" _

_ "Katherine Pierce," I whispered._

We walked through the forest—Elena on one side, Miranda on the other—towards the church and the tomb. I held the grimoire in my hands, trying to block out the images flashing through my mind.

"Aren't you cold Miranda?" Elena asked. "You're wearing shorts."

"I like the cold; I wear shorts to go outside when it's snowing. I can't catch a cold, so I don't really mind."

We began walking through a party; I assumed it was the one Anna was talking about earlier.

"The Duke party, I forgot. I hope they stay clear of the church." Elena muttered.

"Your hope, not mine." I replied. It would be fun to see them all die because of the tomb vampires.

"It's like I can see people getting massacred in your mind, Damon," Miranda stated. "Why is that?" I looked over and smirked at her. Loud music pulsed through the night, accompanied by chatter and the crackling sounds of fire.

"Elena, hey!"

"Elena, oh my God, where've you been?" Oh no, it was Caroline and her new guy friend.

"Long story," I answered for her. "No time to tell it."

"I wasn't talking to you," Caroline snapped at me.

"Sure you were," I replied.

"We haven't met, I'm Matt," the guy said, sticking his hand out to shake towards Miranda and I.

"Matt; there's a reason we haven't met." I turned Miranda and Elena away from the two. "We're going this way."

Elena muttered an apology as we walked off. "You are _such_ an ass." Miranda said.

"I know." I replied. "But we have an agenda and we need to stay on schedule."

We arrived at the church and I saw my brother and the two witches standing together. I pushed Elena towards Stefan.

"Brother, witches," I greeted coldly.

"Everything ok?" Stefan asked.

"I just want to get this over with, are we ready?" Elena asked.

"Yes," Bonnie answered

I walked down the steps down to the tomb. I could hear the others slowly move down to the tomb as well. Miranda stayed at the back of the group with Elena.

The old witch began lighting torches on fire. "Air, Earth, Fire." Bonnie handed her a bottle of water. "Water." The witch sprinkled some water on the ground.

"That's it," Elena asked incredulously. " Just water from the tap?"

"As opposed to what?"

"I just figured maybe it'd have to be blessed or mystical or something." Elena answered. I looked back at Miranda and she gave me the blood bag. Her face was blank, and she didn't look at me.

"What's that?" Stefan asked.

"It's for Katherine," I said. "Got to have something to get her going. Unless your girl's offering a vein tap." I looked back at Elena and smirked.

"Admit it," I whispered. "You can't wait to get rid of me."

"I can't wait to get rid of you," Stefan said.

"We're ready," Bonnie said, looking at us. She and her grandmother began chanting something in a foreign language.

"What are they saying?" I asked as I moved to stand by the tomb door.

"Sound's Latin," Stefan replied.

"I don't think it's Latin," Elena added.

The torches began to burn brighter, the fire growing exponentially.

"What's happening?" Elena asked, clutching Stefan's arm. The tomb's door started opening slowly.

"It worked," Bonnie breathed out.

"Of course it worked," her grandmother said.

"Don't you have some fires to build?" I asked Stefan. He looked to Elena.

"I'm going to go get the gasoline." He said. "I'll be right back." I watched as everyone looked at me with expectant eyes.

"You ready?" I asked Elena.

"What?"

"Think I'm going to go in there by myself so you can seal me in?" I grabbed Elena as I asked the witches.

"Don't take her in," Bonnie's grandmother stated. "I'll bring the walls down."

"You'll bring the walls down if I don't; do you think I trust you?" I asked.

"As much as I trust you."

"Enough," Miranda stated, walking closer. "You're fighting like toddlers."

"Look," Elena began. "He needs leverage. He needs to know that you're not going to shut the door when he gets inside. I get it. I'll go." I leaned over and picked up a torch from the ground. I looked over at Miranda.

"Are you coming with us Miss Brooding?" I asked. "Or is it just going to be Elena and me?"

"Sorry Damon," she smiled tiredly. "Adventure ends here I guess."

"Come on, you don't want to go into a dark tomb full of half dead vampires?" I asked, making it sound interesting.

"I'll pass for now." I nodded and Elena and I walked into the tomb. I tried to push away the sadness I had, thinking that those would be the last words Miranda ever said to me.

It was dark and the mummified vampires began whispering when they caught the scent of Elena's blood.

"What was that?" Elena asked.

"They can sense you," I replied. "Now, where is she?" I hurried through the tomb, leaving Elena by herself. The sooner I found Katherine and got her out of there, the sooner she could get out too.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I leaned against the old stone walls, watching Bonnie and her grandmother whisper and throw glances my way.

"I'm Miranda, by the way." I said, waving hello. "You're Elena's friend, right Bonnie?"

"Uh, yeah. This is my grandmother, Sheila."

"She isn't a bad one, Bonnie. You can trust her."

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"You have a positive aura around you; you don't want to cause harm to the people of Mystic Falls." Sheila answered. I smiled at them.

Suddenly, Anna ran down the stairs and towards the tomb door.

"Hey," Bonnie said. "You're not going in there."

"You think you can stop me?" Anna asked.

"Bonnie," Sheila signaled to Bonnie to let Anna inside. Anna bent down to pick up a flashlight and then she ran inside.

"Why did you let her go in?" Bonnie asked.

"Because she isn't coming out," Sheila replied. I pushed myself from the wall as I heard that.

"None of them are," Sheila continued.

"What do you mean "they aren't coming out"?" I asked. They gave each other a look, and I knew it wasn't a good look. It was a "we're in deep shit now" look.

Stefan chose the perfect time to walk down the steps into the tomb area. "Where's Elena?"

"Damon took her inside," Bonnie said.

"What?" He ran to the tomb door.

"Stefan," Sheila said. "Don't go in there."

"Why?"

"You won't be coming back out." I informed him.

"What did they do?" he asked.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." I looked at both of the witches.

"Opening the door didn't remove the seal," Sheila said. "It just opened the door."

"What's the seal?" Stefan asked.

"Some seals keep vampires from entering, but this one keeps them from coming out."

"Elena's human, she can leave. Anna and Katherine can't."

"Damon can't," I added.

"You weren't even planning on breaking the spell, were you?" Stefan asked.

"I told you, I will protect my own. Elena can get out, and that's all that matters." There was an ear-piercing scream from inside the tomb, and Stefan and I turned towards it.

"Elena," I muttered as he went inside.

"Stefan!" Bonnie yelled and started to go after him. Sheila blocked her path, and Bonnie was shocked.

"You can't just leave him in there Grams," she exclaimed.

"He made his choice," Sheila replied.

"And I'm making mine." I stated loudly, pushing past both of them. I looked at the entrance to the tomb.

"You're going to undo that spell, and I'll get them out of there."

"Miranda's right;" Bonnie scrambled to the ground for the grimoire. "Here, show me what to do."

"We are not strong enough; even if we were able to bring the seal down, there's no guarantee that we'll bring it back up again."

"You said it yourself, many things can fuel a witch's power. Help me," Bonnie pleaded.

"If you can break the seal, and I can get Elena and Stefan out of there," I began. "I'll burn the rest of them myself with gasoline and a shit load of matches." Sheila looked over at me.

"I know you might have just met me, but I promise. I'm fast. Faster than fast. I'll get them out. I'll do anything." I choked on my breath. "Please." Sheila nodded and she began looking at the book with Bonnie.

"Thank you," I said with a smile. I turned and ran into the tomb; my eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and I listened carefully for anything familiar. Noises, voices, heartbeats. After a few seconds, Elena ran past me, followed by Stefan. He stopped next to me for a moment, giving me his flashlight.

"They're working on it, just go." I told him and I ran through the tomb. The flashlight made it easier to see. I went down the winding path of the tomb, looking into chambers to make sure he wasn't there. I kept tripping over limbs of vampires as I ran. I got to the very end of the tomb, and I heard him grumbling to himself.

"Damon," I called out to him softly. He kicked the wall of the tomb and muttered something else. Stefan appeared beside me.

"What happened?" he asked. Damon continued to speak incoherently, and he looked over to us with sad eyes.

"What?" Damon took the blood bag in his hand and threw it against the wall. "SHE'S NOT HERE!" his voice was filled with fury and sorrow.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I watched as the blood dripped down the tomb wall. Stefan and Miranda watched me; I knew what Miranda was thinking. He's acting like such a child. She didn't know this hurt, this pain, this betrayal. Something I had to feel twice, and the first time it was because of her.

"Stefan, they can't hold it much longer!" Elena screamed from outside.

"Damon, we need to get out of here," Stefan told me.

"It doesn't make sense," I stated. "They locked her inside."

"If we don't go now, we can't get out of here, Damon." Miranda pleaded with me, her eyes staring, full of emotion.

"How could she not be in here?" I asked.

"It's not worth spending all of eternity down here." Stefan tried. "She's not worth it!" He touched my shoulder and I shook him off. He had no right to say that to me.

"Damon," Elena's voice echoed through the tomb. How dare Elena have _her_ voice, her face. Stefan didn't deserve happiness if I didn't.

"Stefan, get Elena out of here." Miranda said to Stefan, placing herself in front of me.

"But—"

"Just do it!" Miranda exclaimed, and Stefan was gone. She turned to me, and looked at me.

"You have _nothing_ to say to me," I growled at her. She slowly placed her hands on my cheeks and stepped closer to me.

"It'll be ok," she whispered, nodding. "It'll be ok. Please, you have to be strong; you're one of the strongest people I know." She took her hands off my cheeks and pushed my hair back, out of my eyes. "It'll be ok, Damon. Now please, let's go."

I stared into her eyes; I saw an immeasurable amount of things there; wisdom, compassion, pain, love, sorrow. I stepped back, away from her and fixed my jacket. I took a breath and then started to walk out of the tomb, with Miranda following closely behind me.

We walked out just as the witches stopped chanting and the tomb door closed. Stefan was holding Elena close to him. We all walked back up the steps and I felt numb; Elena hugged me and said she was sorry, but I didn't feel it.

A few hours later, I waited for Anna at her hotel room. When she walked in, I turned on the light and saw her with a frail looking Pearl.

"You knew Katherine wasn't in there," I said blankly. It wasn't a question, I knew that Anna knew.

"You wouldn't have helped me," Anna replied. I looked at her and then I sped over to Pearl, holding her throat in my hand, choking her.

"Why do you get a happy ending?" I asked. Anna struggled for me to let Pearl go. "Why do you get it and I don't?"

"The guard." Pearl started struggling to talk. "The one at the church, the one who locked us in. She promised to turn him. He was obsessed with her. She had him under her spell like everybody else. He let her go."

I let Pearl go, and she dropped to the ground. I was speechless; how could that be possible?

"Last I saw her," Anna began. "Was Chicago, 1983. She knew where you were, Damon. She didn't care." Every word Anna said crushed my heart into smaller pieces. I left the room in silence, heading back home to think.

I sat in front of the fireplace, watching the flames dance before my eyes. I could hear Stefan talking on the phone to Elena in the hallway. I was angry…beyond angry. I was furious with Katherine. It felt like she ripped my heart from my chest and threw it into a fire.

Stefan walked over and sat next to me; he didn't say anything. I heard the front door open and shut, and the clicking of heels against the floor. Miranda walked into the room, picking something up from behind the couch.

I looked over towards her and saw she was listening to some music, the earbuds she wore blasting some loud, depressing song. She knelt down next to Stefan and whispered.

"I'm going to go home, catch up on my sleep. I'll be back to check on things tomorrow morning."

"Thanks Miranda, I'll see you," Stefan whispered back. And then she was gone; no footsteps, no goodbyes.

I silently got up and went to my room, sitting on my bed and looking at the opposite wall. My mind was blank, I didn't know what to think, and then it was suddenly bursting with memories. Things I didn't recognize until now, and things I planned to hold onto for the rest of my life.

"_You're new to Mystic Falls, aren't you?" I asked, taking the jar from her hands and setting back on the shelf. _

_ "How did you guess?" she asked._

_ "I always remember a beautiful face," I replied, smirking. "I'm Damon Salvatore." I carefully grasped her hand, and kissed the back of it gently._

_ "I'm Miranda Arlington. It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Salvatore." She smiled._

_ "The pleasure is mine."_

_ Katherine stared at me, a twisted smirk on her face. "Well, it seems, Mr. Salvatore, Miss Arlington is getting in my way;" she put a wooden stake in my hand. "You're going to go and run over there right now, and you're going to make sure she isn't able to interfere anymore." She placed a kiss on my cheek._

"_I don't love you, I never loved you." __I stared at Miranda, who was shaking violently as she sobbed.__ "Sometimes, I wish that you could leave, and I would never see you again. But right now," I reached into my pocket and pulled out a matchbox. "Right now, I wish that you were dead." I took out a single match and leaned over her small form._

"_Wish granted," I sneered at her._

_ "Damon, what are you doing?" I turned at the sound of Stefan's voice, and then everything went black._

_We stood by the fountain in front of my house, the rain pouring slowly, soaking us. I pulled the necklace out of my pocket and placed it around her neck. The rain leaving droplets on the silver skeleton key charm. It was the one reason why I regretted joining the army; I had to leave Miranda._

"_I love you," I told her. "I'm leaving tomorrow."_

"_Damon," I couldn't tell the tears from the rain. "I love you. So much."She placed a cold hand against my cheek and used the other to push my wet hair off my forehead. She wrapped her arms around my neck and whispered, "I'm going to miss you. Please come back to me."_

_ I woke up and saw the morning sun shine into my bedroom. I felt an arm wrap around my waist and turned over with a smile on my face, but what I saw was the opposite of what I had expected._

_ "Katherine," I choked out, my eyes wide._

_ "Good morning…" she smiled and pinned me to the bed._

_ "What are you doing here?"I asked. _

_ "It's a shame you don't remember." Katherine whispered. "I need another little favor from you Damon. This time you _can't_ fail me, otherwise I have to take matters into my own hands." _

_ I ran through the garden, chasing Miranda through the multicolored flowers. Her laughter was like music in my ears. I finally caught up to her and wrapped my arms around her waist. "I've got you," I whispered into her ear softly. She turned in my arms and smiled. I stared into her eyes and then I captured her lips with mine._

_I took Miranda by the arms and threw her to the floor violently. I reached into my jacket and pulled a stake out of my pocket; I ran over to her and pinned her to the floor. _

"_Damon, don't," she choked out as I held raised the stake up to drive it through her heart. Miranda got her arm free and wrapped her hand around my wrist. Her eyes were wide and glazed with tears, and she tried to blink them away._

_ Miranda looked me in the eye and I was trapped in her gaze. "Drop it," she spoke evenly and calmly. I let go of the stake immediately, and she let go of my wrist. "Get off of me," she spoke again. I moved so I was sitting on the floor next to her; she sat up and took a deep breath. _

_ She moved her hand so it rested against my cheek and sighed. "Who made you do this, Damon?" she asked. I shook my head; my actions felt like they were out of my control._

_ "Who made you do this?" she repeated, her voice loud._

_ "I wanted to kill you," I replied._

_ "Are you lying to me?" she asked. I nodded. "Who told you to come to my house and kill me?" _

_ "Katherine Pierce," I whispered._

_I knocked on the doors with both of my fists. "Miranda, please. Open this door; I need to talk with you."I waited a few moments before trying again. _

"_Open the door, Miranda," I. "I love you. I'll always love you." The door unlocked and there stood Miranda. Her face was blank, and her eyes were cold and distant. I willed the tears I had not to fall._

_ "Why?" I choked out. Why was she leaving me? I thought she loved me._

_ "You know why," she replied coldly. _

"_Were you just going to leave without telling me? Do I mean that little to you?"I asked._

"_I think that is a question _I_ should be asking _you_."Miranda turned and walked out of the room, and down the long hallway. I finally let the tears fall down my cheeks. Miranda Arlington would be leaving Mystic Falls forever, and she broke my heart._

I looked around the room, my head spinning at the information overload. I remembered…everything.

**A/N: So that's it. Damon remembers. Just a note, the last part is not in chronological order. I'm sure you can figure out what happened when. Ah! Tell me what you think? The truth is just beginning to unravel, folks. Stay tuned.**


	12. Not Enough Febreze

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

I got out of my car and rolled my eyes. Music was blasting loudly from inside the Salvatore Boarding House. I was going to ring the bell, but decided against it. I stepped inside the house and walked down the hall into the library. The music was turned on full blast, and Damon was dancing with 4 sorority girls with bite marks all over their barely clothed bodies.

I cleared my throat, and crossed my arms. Damon immediately looked over.

"Look, it's Miranda!" Damon slurred. The 4 girls looked over to me and waved hello. I could smell the liquor coming from the group. I was about to pick up my phone and call Stefan when he walked into the room next to me.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Your brother is on a giant bender," I replied. "And, just saying from experience, it doesn't look too good." Stefan gave me a look, so I elaborated.

"I ended up driving a combine through a corn field, wearing a debutant dress, and holding some guy's teeth in my hand." I shrugged. "It wasn't pretty. And this…it isn't going to be pretty."

Stefan turned the light on and Damon groaned. "No, Buzzkill Bob!" I walked over and turned the music off as well.

"Greetings," Damon said.

"Can we talk?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah," Damon breathed out, his body swaying slightly.

"Without the tri-delts," Stefan continued.

"Preferably without them," I restated. Stefan nodded.

"Anything you can say to me, you can say in front of them." He leaned forward. "They're really good at keeping secrets."

"For some reason, I doubt that." I smiled and walked over to the swaying girls. I started herding them over to the couch. "All right, party is on stand-by. If you sober up a little, I might get you some coffee and a bunch of toothbrushes." They all cheered drunkenly, and sat down.

I walked back over to the brothers and put my hands on my hips.

"You're worried about me. That's nice. Don't be; there's no need. I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" Damon said as he waved around a bottle of vodka. "  
I've spent the last 145 years with one goal: get in that tomb. I succeeded. Grant it, Katherine wasn't _in there _to be rescued, by why dwell?"

I looked at Stefan to see his face full of concern. "I'm so liberated, not having a master plan, because I can do whatever the _hell_ I want now."

"That's kind of what I'm afraid of," Stefan admitted.

"Relax, I haven't killed anyone in…too long." Damon replied.

"What about the…study group?" I asked.

"They will end up in their dorm, with headaches. They'll think they blacked out. Business as usual. Predictably, you didn't pull me over here for a pep talk?"

"Uh, Miranda, can you go and take care of…them?" Stefan asked. I nodded and then kissed both of them on the cheeks.

"Don't kill each other," I told them. I walked over to the girls. "Who's ready to put their clothes back on?" I asked with false excitement. The girls all cheered again and then I led them out of the room.

I shouldn't have taken responsibility for four drunk human girls. They didn't throw up in my car, but they were annoying as hell. The entire way back to the college, they wouldn't stop talking.

"You're really pretty," one said.

"The magical hippos are calling out to me," another exclaimed as she stared out the window.

Obviously, Damon not only got them drunk, but he compelled them to be as crazy and loose as possible. I wouldn't believe it if they were that way naturally. I personally escorted them to their dorms, and then had to compel them to go to sleep and not remember a thing about their little adventure when they woke up. It was the biggest chore in the world. Not to mention it took an hour to drive them home, and an hour to drive back.

"You owe me gas money Stefan," I answered my phone when he called.

"Yeah, ok. I need you to babysit."

"Too bad, I have stuff to do." I replied.

"Do you really, or are you just avoiding Damon?" How the _hell_ did he know everything?

"I don't want to watch Drunk Damon."

"He's a…barrel of fun," Stefan forced a laugh as he said this. "I have something to do, and I can't make sure he doesn't do anything too stupid."

"God, I hate you. I'm still driving, and I'll be another… half hour."

"Just check up on him when you get back in town."

"Fine." I gave in.

"Thanks Miranda, I owe you—"

"Gas money. You owe me gas money and a little bit of my sanity I'll never get back."

"Ok, bye." Stefan hung up the phone.

I would have to go home, burn my clothes, febreeze my car, and then babysit a wasted vampire. I let out a scream, hitting my steering wheel a couple times. Today was not going to be a fun day.

**Damon's POV**

Go home, get ready, and stay sober enough to be raffled off at a bachelor auction, because I didn't have enough on my plate already. Today was not going to be a fun day. I went back home to get dressed; I had to look debonair so I could be put on a plate for all the women of Mystic Falls to fight for me.

"Damon, where are you?" I heard Miranda call from downstairs.

"Up here!" I called from the bathroom in Stefan's room. I had wanted to talk to Miranda earlier, but Saint Stefan had her make sure the girls got home safely.

"Do I want to know why you're getting changed in Stefan's room?" she asked, appearing behind me by the bathroom door.

"The lights in here make me look better," I replied. I turned around to find her in a different outfit than this morning.

"You changed your clothes." I asked. The cream and pastel pink made her look more alive; it brought out whatever color she had in her pale face. She turned and walked out of the bathroom.

"You're only wearing pants," she stated. "Put a shirt on if you plan to go outside; it's a little chilly out there and it would look very weird." I followed her and picked up my shirt from a chair; I had a million questions to ask, and another million things to say.

"Why were you so weak in 1864?" I asked before I realized what was coming out of my mouth.

"Huh?" she turned around.

"I mean, you're super strong now, but I remember being able to toss you around easily back then."

"Where's this coming from?" she asked.

"Nowhere; I just wanted to know." I lied. "Reflection and what not." I tried to put my shirt on and I had problems with the buttons.

"Do you need help?" Miranda asked, walking over to me. I nodded and she set to work buttoning my shirt.

"I know what's running through your head right now," I informed her.

"And what would that be?" she asked, buttoning each button carefully.

""Oh Damon can't dress himself properly, just like a child." It's written across your face."

"Is that what you think I think of you?" She sounded amused. "That you're childish?"

"You say stuff like that enough times," I replied.

"Well I don't think that. Everyone's entitled to be childish sometimes; you just pick the wrong times. Right now, though, you're hurting. I can understand that."

"I'm sorry about that," I apologized as she finished and looked up at me.

"Sorry for what?"

"For everything that I made you go through."

"I signed up for all of this gloom and doom garbage when I moved back here," she smiled and began to walk away. I grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

"No," I stated.

"No?"

"I'm sorry for all the things you had to go through in 1864." I whispered.

"You're drunk," she muttered.

"Not as much as I'd like to be," I replied. I pushed her hair away from her face. "I'm sorry."

"Stop saying that you're sorry; you don't know what you're sorry for." Miranda was shocked; it was almost if she didn't believe what was happening right in front of her.

"What are you getting dressed up for anyways?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Fundraiser Bachelor Auction. You should go."

"I am; I have nothing else to do tonight."

" _I _happen to be one Mystic Falls' most eligible bachelors." I smirked.

"That should cheer you up a little bit," Miranda said. "They could have chosen anyone in town, but they chose you." She smiled.

"You know what would cheer me up more?" I asked, leaning closer as if to tell her a secret.

"What?" she smiled and backed away a little. I put a finger to my lips and shushed her.

"Shh, it's a secret." I whispered. She mimicked my actions.

"What is it?" she whispered back. I smirked and moved her hand away, pressing my lips to hers. I could feel that she was shocked, frozen even, but this was something I missed. Her soft lips felt like heaven against mine.

"Stefan? I—" Elena's voice made Miranda pull away. We both turned to see Elena standing there, staring at us with her mouth open in shock. Miranda noticed I was still holding her hand and quickly pulled it out of my grasp; she stepped away from me and clasped her hands behind her back.

"Uh, sorry. I was looking for Stefan." Elena mumbled. She looked at me and frowned. "You look, um…"

"Dashing, gorgeous," I turned to Miranda and smirked. "Irresistible?" Her eyes widened and she moved her gaze away from me.

"Wrecked. You look wrecked," she stated simply. It felt like there was some party going on here that everyone was invited to, because Stefan walked into the room.

"Ok, I'm going to go downstairs before more people crowd into your bedroom Stefan," Miranda said. "See you later Elena." She smiled and walked out of the room, grabbing her purse on the way out.

I followed her out, and saw her casually walking down the hall, jingling her keys in her hand as she went towards the stairs.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"To the grill, maybe get some blood on the way. I'll see you later." Miranda said. "Don't get wasted again." She walked down the stairs.

"I'm not making any promises." I called down to her.

**Elena's POV**

I arrived at the Grill later that afternoon to help with Caroline with the fundraiser.

"She who is she," Caroline asked pointing to Miranda. "She was with you and Damon at the Duke party." Miranda was sitting alone at a table, reading a book and drinking a glass of red wine.

"That's Miranda Avery; she's my new neighbor." I replied.

"She looks shy," Caroline commented. "But she does know her style."

"Yeah, you know what guys, I'll be right back." I said, and I walked over to her table.

"Hey, Miranda." She didn't look up at me as I sat down next to her; her attention was completely focused on the book.

"One second," she replied. She looked up at me and smiled. "How can I help you?"

"Have you bought a ticket yet?" I asked. She laughed and shook her head.

"Why would I?"

"Well, I just thought…I saw you and Damon kissing earlier and I thought that you'd get a raffle ticket. To see if you could win the date with him." Her smile faded slightly.

"That was nothing," Miranda stated quickly.

"What's going on with you two?"

"It's a long story."

"See, that's what Stefan said. And then Damon said you two weren't friends. I'm just really confused at what's going on here."

"I promise I'll tell you the story, Elena. Just not right now." Miranda promised.

"Fine," I said, getting up to go and sit with Jenna.

**Miranda's POV**

I looked back down at my book and continued to read for a while until I noticed someone else had occupied the chair next to me.

"I should start charging for consultations," I said, not looking up.

"I don't see any tickets," Damon stated, ignoring my previous comment. "Why the lack of participation."

"It's a waste of time; the other…desperate housewives want it more."

"What do you want?" he asked.

"To be left alone so I can read." I replied.

"Then why are you here?"

"I like to go where the crowd goes; tonight it just so happens to be here."

"What were you and Elena talking about?"

"Attention bachelors, could you all come here so we can begin?" Mrs. Lockwood announced.

"That would be a conversation for another time," I smiled. "Have fun." I watched as he got up and stood with the four other bachelors up for auction, and closed my book. Mrs. Lockwood began to introduce the five bachelors, and read "fun facts" about them from their cards.

"And last, but not least, Damon Salvatore. We don't have much on you," she said.

"Well, I'm tough to fit on a card." Damon replied.

"Do you have any hobbies? Like travelling?"

"Oh, yeah. LA, New York…a couple years ago I was in North Carolina, near the Duke campus actually. I think," he turned to Alaric.

"I think Alaric went to school there. Didn't you Rick?" He got that mischievous look in his eye that signaled he was up to no good.

"Yeah, except I know your wife did. I had a drink with her once, she was a great girl. Did I ever tell you that? She was delicious." Oh shit; I put my head in my hands. Damon killed the teacher's wife. It sounded almost like a sick children's song; I could hear it in my head.

"Well, um, we'll take a short break," Mrs. Lockwood said, allowing the men to get off the makeshift stage. "And then we'll see who gets a date with our handsome bachelors."

Damon approached the table again slowly, and sat down. "Ugh, I need a drink." He groaned.

"Ugh, you need to stay sober enough to get through the night." I mimicked.

"You like teasing me, don't you?" he asked.

"It is one of the few things that I will never tire of doing," I replied. "I'm going to go soon; spending two hours watching desperate women fight over five guys isn't as fun as it sounded this morning."

"Why are you leaving? Stay." Damon insisted.

"I haven't…eaten yet today," I told him, watching my words. "I'm starving."

"So am I," Damon began. "But I still have to put up with this for at least another half hour."

"Sucks for you," I replied. I drained the rest of the wine from my glass and got up to leave. "See you later."

"Don't disappear Miranda," he said as I walked over to the bar to pay my tab.

"Not planning on it," I waved goodbye and weaved through the crowd of women.

**Damon's POV**

I sat in the library, staring at the fireplace. The history teacher's corpse splayed out in front of me like it belonged there. It felt good—killing someone—it felt refreshing. Stefan wasn't going to be too happy; I hear the door open and footsteps on the floors. Well, now I was going to find out how he would react.

"What happened?" Stefan ran over to Alaric's body. "What did you do?"

"What?" I asked. "He attacked me."

"Damon," he stated, wanting a real answer.

"All I did was tell him the truth, that his wife didn't want him anymore." I elaborated. "It's not my fault he couldn't handle it."

"Like you've been handling Katherine?" Stefan asked.

"I'm handling it fine," I answered. "You know what? Isobel came to me, she found me, and if she's related to Elena, that means she's related to Katherine... Maybe Katherine sent her to me." I theorized.

"Stop it, you don't have to keep looking!" Stefan scolded.

"It can't be a coincidence that Isobel sought me out," I said, pointing at him. I got up to go to my room. "I assume you'll take care of this?" I asked before leaving the room. I walked out of the library and I caught the scent of blood. It wasn't fresh blood, but it was blood. I followed it slowly up the stairs and to my room.

I pushed the door open and I found Miranda lying casually on my bed—her feet kicking through the air—looking at the door and drinking from a blood bag like a child would a juice box.

"You should really keep your doors locked," Miranda taunted. "Try paying attentions if someone walks into your house while your home alone, because they could kill you."

"You're too late," I said, stepping further into my room. "Alaric Saltzman just tried. It ended badly for him."

"I brought dinner," she stated.

"And you're hogging it all, give me some," I held my hand out and approached her.

"Way ahead of you," she said leaning over the edge of the bed. She picked something up and threw it towards me; I caught it and saw it was a bag of O-negative.

"Good choice, but I prefer it warm." I smirked at her.

"You get what you get, Mr. Picky-Eater. I'm not the complaint department," she informed me. I tossed the bag somewhere and sped across the room, flipping Miranda over and pinning her to the bed.

I could feel my fangs extend and the veins protrude around my eyes; Miranda's face changed as well, but her lips were stained red from the blood she had been drinking. She looked up at me as if she knew what I would do.

I lowered my face to her neck and ran my nose along her throat; I could smell the blood moving through her veins. O-positive, AB-negative, and that something special that made it vampire's blood; it smelled delicious. My fangs pierced her skin and her blood slowly ran into my mouth; this caused Miranda to take a sharp intake of breath and then sigh slowly.

"Don't…don't get any blood on my clothes," she whispered. "I like this shirt." I lifted my head up and saw a line of blood had traveled down her collarbone and stained the cream colored lace material of her shirt.

"Too late," I returned to the wound on her neck. I let go of one of her arms and ran my hand down her side to play with the hem of her pink skirt. She groaned as I continued to lap up her blood.

"Stop," she said, placing her hand on my chest. When I ignored her, she growled and suddenly, she was throwing me off of her. "I said stop," she stated, her face still contorted from the lack of blood. The wound on her neck closed up slowly, and Miranda picked up her blood bag from beside her, drinking and quickly emptying it.

"Sleepy," she yawned and blinking many times to wake herself up.

"You gonna head home?" I asked, not wanting her to leave. She shook her head.

"Nope, brought my overnight bag," she replied, moving she was lying down next to me.

"Really?" I looked at her incredulously.

"Business as usual." She smiled, quoting me from earlier today.

"Do you regret coming to Mystic Falls?" I asked her, remembering the flash of memories that consumed my thoughts last night before I started drinking heavily.

"Nope," she replied, popping the p at the end.

"How about meeting me?"

"Never."

"I remember, Miranda." I just took the leap and told her. "Everything that happened in 1864 before you left. I remember it."

"Really?"

"Would I lie?" I asked her.

"I don't know. Would you?" she sighed. "Everything, you remember the…"

"Times that Katherine compelled me, the times I tried to kill you, the time I slept with Katherine. Why didn't I remember when I became a vampire?"

"Emily," Miranda simply said. "Along with Katherine's compulsion, Emily worked a little magic so that it would stay forgotten. Unfortunately, there are always loopholes in magic."

"Always?" I was skeptical.

"You opened the tomb, didn't you?" she smirked.

"Point taken."

Miranda yawned, and then she closed her eyes. "No more talking; it's late. Nap time."

"Are you always like this?" I asked.

"Yes."

"I'm going to have fun with you."

"Uh huh." She smiled lazily and whispered, "Night night Damon." I leaned over and kissed her forehead gently.

"Goodnight Miranda."

**A/N: Well, my day has been terrible. It's all overcast and gloomy outside, and I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning at 8. Hopefully my bad mood didn't affect my writing. I know the ending is a little weak, but I'll make up for it next time. Enjoy!**


	13. To Mimi Logan, Whoever You Are

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Damon's POV**

I opened my eyes and closed them immediately; the sun wasn't my friend, even though I wore my day ring. I felt something tug on my arm and get closer to me, cuddling to my chest. I opened my eyes again—slowly this time—and looked down to see that Miranda was safely tucked to my side, her head resting on my chest.

I watched her sleep; the way her lips moved slightly with her breathing and her eyelashes contrasted against her pale skin.

"You're staring." She spoke, catching me off guard. Her eyes were still closed and there was a smirk on her lips.

"You can't possibly know that," I said. She opened her eyes and looked straight into mine.

"Ah, see. I proved it." She smiled and then closed her eyes again. "I'm like a ninja, I'm aware of everything around me." She sat up, getting out of my arms and looked at herself. "Ew, I'm still wearing my clothes from yesterday." She said.

"You are such a princess," I laughed. She picked up a pillow and hit me with it.

"Shut up;" she began laughing as well, and then got off the bed. She grabbed her bag and walked out of the room.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"To Stefan's room; take a shower, get dressed. He left for school about an hour ago; I don't think he'll mind."

"We could always conserve water—"

"Don't even finish that sentence," she cut me off, smiling. Then she was gone, and I heard the door to Stefan's room slam shut.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I walked out of Stefan's bedroom and headed downstairs; I could hear Damon talking with someone. I put my black blazer on to complete my outfit: a red MoMA t-shirt, black skinny jeans and red patent pumps.

I heard Damon groaning and I walked closer to the sitting room. "I have four hundred years on you, little boy. I'll rip you from limb to limb without even blinking and you know it." I knew that voice; it was Pearl. I ran to the sitting room and stared at her and Anna.

Pearl and Anna turned to look at me; their eyes were wide with surprise and fear. Damon was on the floor, doubled over. Pearl and Anna were suddenly gone and I walked over to Damon. He was holding his face and panting.

"What happened?" I asked. His eye sockets were practically empty, with streaks of blood down his cheeks. I hate to admit it, but I am a squeamish person, despite being a vampire. I had to close my eyes as he healed.

"It's ok to look no, you big baby." I opened my eyes a few minutes later to see him, shielding his with his hands; they were very red and bloodshot.

"Sorry," I apologized. "Weak stomach. Let me get something for you." It took me two seconds to get a wet washcloth and a pair of sunglasses for him. I sat next to him on the floor, and slowly wiped at his face with the washcloth; when I was done, I put the sunglasses on for him.

"There, dashing. What the hell happened?" I asked.

"Pearl wants my help taking back the town."

"That's a little cliché, isn't it? Why does she want it?"

"Revenge for everything that happened in 1864. She's hung up about being stuck in the tomb and wants me to be her little spy on the council." He replied, sounding exasperated. He laid his head on my shoulder and stared at the wall across from us. "She tried to bribe me with Katherine."

"She knows where Katherine is?" I asked.

"I doubt it; I don't care anyways. Right now, I want to go and get wasted."

"Am I going to have to babysit so you don't get anyone killed?" I asked.

"Yep," he stood up and pulled me with him. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and jingled them a little.

"I actually have to opt out this time," I said. "I have plans."

"Psh, if _you_ have plans, then Stefan is drinking from humans. It's impossible." He exclaimed.

"I have to spend _some_ time at my own house; it's starting to get dusty from absence of life." I said.

"Even when you're at home, there will always be an absence of life." He replied, smiling.

"Ha-ha, Mr. Jokester." I smiled. "I'm going. Don't make me regret leaving you alone." I walked towards the door and grabbed my bag before leaving.

When I got home, I walked down my driveway to get my mail from my mailbox. I picked up a small stack of envelopes from the box and wondered what they could all be. I walked inside and sat at my dining room table.

All of them were in plain white envelopes, with postage marks from around the country. I began to look at each item closely and gasped at what I found. Mimi Logan, Miranda Bailey, Miranda Arlington, Miranda Nelson, Mimi Hartford…all of them were names that I had previously gone by. None of them were addressed to a Miranda Avery.

I lifted on up to my nose and quickly smelled it; there was the distinct smell of vervain coming from inside the envelope.

"That piece of shit," I swore, smirking. I knew who would be sending letters like this; the same person who's been trying to kill me for the past 2 years. I promised myself that I would kill him if I ever saw him again.

I ran up to my room to get a pair of gloves before returning to the dining room. I put the gloves on and opened one of the letters; I assumed that they would all be the same.

I lifted the corner and tore into the envelope; inside was a plain white piece of paper that was sprayed with a vervain. I pulled it out and unfolded it.

_Miranda,_

_ Obviously you thought you could hide from me forever. Changing your phone number was quite clever, until I found your address. I wanted you inform you that you should be scared; ignoring a problem doesn't make it go away._

_I'll be seeing you quite soon. _

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath; I opened my eyes and shook my head.

I didn't want to run again, did I? It was my fault for being stupid enough to get seen by the _one_ person who would never let it go.

I got my phone out of my bag and dialed the number for the only person I could rely on in a situation like this; straight to voicemail. Talk about revenge for ignoring someone's calls. I took a deep breath and tried again; busy signal.

"I hate you right now," I said as I texted the words. I ripped the letter into tiny pieces and then grabbed the rest and left my house.

_ I pulled away from the human I was drinking from and I saw him at the end of the alley. His cold, insensitive eyes were staring at me; his lips were pressed together in a thin line. _

_ "Miranda Nelson," His voice rang out. "You have such human qualities, like caring for the people who surround you. It's almost sad that I have to kill you." I stepped backwards as I watched him approach slowly.

* * *

_

**Stefan's POV**

My phone rang and I pulled it out of my pocket to check who it was; Miranda.

"I'm kind of busy," I answered. I looked towards the bathrooms to see when Elena and Caroline would get back.

"Not going to bother you for more than a second," she replied. "Where do you keep your firewood?"

"You're at the house?" I asked.

"I don't have a fireplace and I'm not going to burn my house down trying to set fire to something in my backyard." She sighed. "I need to get rid of some stuff."

"What kind of stuff? Bad stuff?"

"Not bad stuff, just not…good stuff." She replied. "Can you tell me where there's more firewood, because I can go and chop a tree down."

"Behind the garage," I told her, sighing and rubbing my face. "Why couldn't you call Damon?"

"I'm assuming that you can see him." She stated.

"Yeah."

"He's getting wasted, isn't he?" she asked.

"How did you know?" I asked.

"I'm a little psychic. Shh, don't tell," she joked. "I promise not to burn your house down; I'll see you later." She hung up the phone and I got suspicious.

"Huh," I stated, putting my phone away. "That was really weird."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I hung up the phone and tossed in onto the couch next to a small box and my purse. I had opened the light in the library since the fireplace was lacking a fire and the moonlight didn't do well illuminating the room due to the trees outside.

I opened the box and got pulled out a flashlight; ah, my trusty "to be burned" box. Over the years it had accumulated quite a bit of junk, and when I went to put the letters into the box, I saw something that I had to stop postponing.

I walked outside and around to the garage; I could see that there was a large stack of firewood piled up behind it. I bent down to grab a few pieces when I heard something crack behind me. I stood straight and looked around.

"Is anyone there?" I asked. "Hello?" I shook it off when there was no answer, and turned back around. I could hear distant whispering and running, and I turned around again.

"Listen, I know you're out there. Don't try and scare me, because it isn't going to work!" I exclaimed. I turned, grabbed some firewood and walked back into the house.

I quickly started a fire in the fireplace and got to work burning my crap. One by one, they slowly went into the fire and burned until they were just ashes.

"Ugh, yeah. This is much better than watching Damon visit Cougar Town. No offense," I heard a feminine voice say. I recognized the voice to be one of Elena's friends.

"Don't remind me," another, deeper voice said. "I always wanted to see what it looked like in this place."

"I guess it's a…bit much," Stefan replied.

"Yeah, my entire house could fit in here, like, twice."

"Miranda? What are you doing here?" I turned and saw Elena standing in the doorway. She was soon joined by Caroline.

"Hey guys." I replied. "Just a little overdue spring cleaning. Don't mind me."

"Alright," Elena laughed. "Have fun." She left the room and soon they all left the house to go do God knows what.

I rummaged some more through the box, tossing the things into the fire that I was sure belonged there. There was on old, crumpled wanted poster with a picture of a dead acquaintance of mine, and an elaborate white folding fan that was stained with blood. For a second, I thought that some of these things belonged in a museum somewhere; a private collection filled with knick knacks that no one would take a second glance at. I shook away the thought and threw them into the fire.

I heard the front door open, and the halls filled with some drunken laughter and chatter. "Guess who's home?" I sing-songed to myself.

I could hear their quiet conversation. Then it suddenly stopped. The door opened again and I heard.

"Mom?"

"Damon?"

I walked out into the hall to see Elena, Stefan, Caroline and Matt staring at Damon and a woman—obviously Matt's mother—in a very compromising position. Matt and his mother left immediately, and I walked into the library to resume burning things.

Damon walked into the library and sat down on the couch.

"Burning garbage, that's a new one." Damon stated as he watched me. "Aren't you going to say something?" he asked. I thought of a million cougar jokes, but I decided against saying anything.

"Nope," I replied. "I know when to shut my big mouth."

"Ha-ha," Damon laughed. "I've never seen you use that kind of self-restraint before. You must be proud."

"Shut up," I took the empty box and flattened it out before shoving it into the fire. There was a rather large pile of ash accumulated in the fireplace. I plopped down on the other couch to relax. Stefan walked into the library and immediately looked over at Damon.

"Don't look at me like that," he said, staring at the fire.

"Are you crazy?" Stefan asked.

"Save the lecture," Damon snapped. "Look—" he didn't get a chance to finish since the something crashed through the window, shattering it into little pieces. I got up off the couch and saw the vampire pin Stefan to the ground and stab him in the chest with a large shard of glass. Stefan tried to pull the shard out by himself, I tried to help him pull it out when I felt a sharp stab in my back, and I fell to the ground. I couldn't see it but I knew it was a piece of wood. Damon fought with the leather clad vampire while Stefan tried to get the female one with the glass. I watched helplessly from the floor trying to reach the piece of wood lodge underneath my shoulder blade.

"Little help," I choked out when Stefan staked the woman. "Can't reach." Stefan came over and helped me stand up before pulling out a broken tree branch from my back. Damon came over to us after he through the leather man across the room; he stood up and looked at the corpse of his companion before fleeing into the night.

I could feel my body healing itself and I wiped some blood from my mouth with the back of my hand. "Ugh, what the hell!" I cursed. "You guys ok?"

"Yeah," Stefan replied. "I remember them from 1864. They were in the tomb."

"Yeah… about that," Damon said, trying to find a good way to say what he wanted to. "All of the tomb vampires got out."

"What?" I asked. "How could that have happened?"

"The witches didn't get the seal back up." I shook my head and walked around to start cleaning up.

"This place is a mess," I sighed.

"Tell me about it," Damon replied. I started picking up pieces of glass from the floor, using my vampire speed to get each one quickly. Stefan's phone started ringing, and he picked it up to talk with Elena.

"Can I get some help?" Damon asked as he dragged the body over to the fire.

"Sure," I groaned, getting up from the floor and helping him throw the corpse into the fireplace.

"You've got to do something with that window," I said. I coughed a few times and moved my shoulder around.

"Are you ok?" Damon asked, walking over.

"I'm fine…just needs some blood. I'm going home soon anyways." Damon stoop behind me and traced the cut on my shirt on my skin.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

"Yes," I flinched as he pressed down on the new flesh. "What is wrong with you?" I asked. There was some distant rumbling; a storm was coming. I hated storms; they made the outdoors smell like mildew and mud, instead of my favorite: fresh cut crass and spring.

"You really want to go home?" Damon asked. "You aren't scared of thunder?" Just as he said that the thunder rumbled causing me to jump. Damon began laughing and I pushed him onto the couch.

"Shut up," I exclaimed.

"Go home, get some blood and then come back so we can—" Stefan began.

"Plot our revenge?" I offered.

"I like the way you think," Damon smirked.

"No. Just go. I doubt you'll be safe alone anyways, so get back quickly." Stefan said. I waved goodbye and drove home.

**A/N: New chapter, it's Friday, I'm going to be dressed like an 80's rock groupie for the rest of the night…I think today is good. I hope you like it. Reviews are appreciated, and then might make Damon and Miranda get together quicker…you never know! (Incentives!)**

**Also, can anyone guess who the mystery stalker is? I'll give you a hint: the stalker is **_**not**_** the person that Miranda is avoiding! Toodles!**


	14. Don't Call Me Tonto

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

I woke up on and felt a draft; I felt myself shivering. Oh no, I fell asleep on the couch again didn't I? I opened my eyes to find that I was staring at the ceiling in the library; I groaned and rolled off the couch, landing unceremoniously on the floor.

"It's about time you got up," Damon stated. I looked up to see him putting a large piece of wood over the open window. It was raining outside, the thunder making itself heard every once in a while. I got up and heard my back crack.

"Why can't you kick ass?" Damon asked hammering nails into the wood to keep it in place.

"Excuse me?" I asked, turning to face him.

"You get stabbed, your bones pop; how is it that Pearl was afraid of you if you can't even sleep on a couch?"

"I can beat the shit out of people; I choose to use some self control."

"Is that why I could toss you around in 1864?"

"I was ingesting vervain in small doses to build a tolerance," I replied. "A strong wind could have knocked me over. I stopped a while ago, so I don't think anyone would want to mess with me."

"I'll take that into consideration if I ever want to kill you," Damon said jokingly.

"Ha-ha, very funny." I deadpanned. I heard the front door open and Elena and Stefan walked in.

"Hey Elena, how are you?"

"Good. Do we have any plans yet?"

"I say we go to Pearl's, bust down the door and annihilate the idiot that attacked us last night."

"Not a bad thought," I muttered. I was still in pain from where the tree branch pierced my skin. I was back to 100% strength though, thanks to some good old A-positive.

"And then what," Stefan asked. "We turn to the rest of the house of vampires and say "oops, sorry.""

"I still can't believe you made a deal with her," Elena scoffed.

"It was more like a helpful exchange of information," Damon replied coolly. "And it's not like I had a choice, she's scary."

"And where were you in all of this?" Stefan asked me.

"Taking a shower."

"Pearl ran when she saw Miranda anyways, so it's not like she would've been any help." Damon put down the hammer. "Besides, she's going to help me get Katherine." I rolled my eyes and went to stand by the fire.

"Of course she is," Elena scoffed again.

"You don't need to be snarky about it."

"I woke up this morning to learn that all the vampires had been released from the tomb," Elena replied. "I think I've earned snarky." Damon sighed and sat down.

"How long are you going to keep blaming me for turning your birth mother into a vampire?"

"I'm not blaming you Damon; I've accepted the fact that you're a self serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities."

"Burn," I snickered by the fireplace.

"Ouch." Damon exclaimed.

"This isn't being very productive. We're gonna figure out a way to deal with Pearl and the vampires, yeah?" Stefan asked seriously.

I turned and pulled Damon off the chair and handed him the hammer. "Come on Bob the Builder, I'm sure this place has something else that needs your attention. Let's let the grown-ups talk for a while."

I pulled him down the hall and stretched again, causing my shoulders to pop loudly. The door opened and closed as Elena left. Damon started fixing the time on an old clock outside the library. Stefan walked down the hall, wearing a hoodie and zipping it up.

"Hunting party?" Damon asked.

"Guy did a number on me last night when he stabbed me," Stefan said. "I need to get my strength back up."

"There's two liters of soccer mom in the fridge," Damon offered.

"I don't know what to think about that sentence, but the word "mom" pops out an awful lot." I commented.

"I find fresh better than frozen." Damon stated. "Don't you?"

"We'll talk when I get back?" Stefan asked.

"Alright. Give my regards to the squirrels." Stefan rolled his eyes and left, going into the pouring rain. Damon closed the clock and walked over to where I was leaning against the wall.

"Staring?"

"Yep; you're a total Mr. Handyman today. I like it," I said.

"Really?" He sounded surprised.

"I'm starting to think you aren't completely useless." I laughed and turned to go and find some peace and quiet so I could read.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

Sometime later, I walked up to Miranda in the dining room and stood looking at her from her at the table. She was staring at the book she was holding, her eyes darting across the page.

"What were you burning yesterday?" I asked, causing her to put the book down and look up at me.

"It wasn't anything important," she answered, trying to avoid the conversation.

"Really?" I asked. "Because I think you missed something." I pulled an ash covered envelope from my jacket pocket. "Look familiar?" I asked as he eyes went wide.

"Give it back," she got up and reached over to grab it but I held it over my head and smirked.

"Tell me what it is," I replied. She walked over to me and sighed.

"It's just an envelope, now give it." She jumped up pathetically to get it.

"Not until you tell me what is inside, or why it's addressed to a Mimi Logan." I reasoned.

"It's just a letter; I used to be known as Mimi Logan," she explained. I stepped back and opened the envelope.

"No!" She tried to grab it again, but I ran to the library.

"Is it a love letter?" I asked while I pulled the folded sheet of paper out. "From your secret admirer?" Miranda ran into the room and I dashed off again, running into the sitting room.

"Give it back Damon," she yelled as I ran.

"I didn't know you wanted to keep your _boyfriend_ a secret Miranda." I looked down and began reading the letter. Hide...should be scared…it sounded like some kind of death threat. Miranda caught up to me the second I finished reading it, and ripped it out of my hands.

"Did you read any of it?" she asked, her eyes wide and frantically searching mine for an answer.

"Who is coming after you Miranda?" I asked. "What did you do?" She blinked a few times and turned to walk away.

"Nobody; it's nothing. It's just a prank. See, ha-ha." She said, worry laced in her voice. I grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"If it's nothing, then why are you acting like you're lying?" I asked. "Tell me the truth, please." I stepped closer to her, and she sighed.

"It's just some guy. He's been…following me for the past few years with some kind of obsession with killing me," she replied. "I don't even know his name, but his voice…I would recognize his voice anywhere."

"Are you scared?" I could hear her voice shake slightly as she spoke.

"I don't know; I should be. I'm just shaking because he found out my old phone number _and _my address."

"Don't worry," I told her. I pushed her hair out of her face and she gave me a small smile. She looked around and then gave me a look that said "something's wrong."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Stefan…he's not back yet."

"He's probably with Elena, I'll call him and see what's taking him so long." I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called him. There were a few rings and then it went to the voicemail. I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

"I swear," I muttered as I tried again. This time it went straight to the voicemail. "Sometimes I think he's avoiding me."

"Try Elena's phone," she suggested. I called Elena and got the same response.

"Are you up for a road trip?" I asked. She groaned in protest. "Stop being a baby; I'll drive, you keep trying to call them."

"Maybe I should try with my phone," she offered. "They like me."

"No, they _tolerate _you." I replied, handing over her jacket from the coat hook as we walked to the door. She put the phone to her ear as we got into the car.

"Anything?" I asked.

"Nope." She sighed. "What if something happened?"

"You worry too much, Miranda," I commented as I drove down the driveway onto the main road.

"Hey, could you not speed," Miranda asked as she dialed a number on her phone. "I'd rather not be catapulted through the windshield because you don't drive slowly on wet roads."

"Where's your sense of adventure?" I asked.

"It's right here, next to my sense of survival." She put the phone down again and looked as if she wanted to throw it out the window. "Dead battery; this is why I need to be at my own house more often." She picked up my phone from her lap and tried again.

We parked on the street in front of Elena's house, and quickly dashed for the door. I tried Elena's number one more time, and when the call went to voicemail, I knocked on the door. Elena opened it and we walked inside.

"You're ignoring us," I said.

"What? The 6 missed calls? Sorry, my phone's dead."

"Psh," I scoffed. "That's her excuse." I said, pointing to Miranda.

"Is Stefan here?" Miranda asked, ignoring my comment.

"No, why?" Elena asked. "Is something wrong?"

"He went out into the woods and didn't come back." Miranda explained.

"We couldn't get him on his phone, so we thought he was with you," I added. Elena dialed on her phone and sighed.

"It's going straight to voicemail. Where could he be?" Elena asked.

"You're not going to like what I'm thinking." I stated.

"Pearl?" Miranda asked and I nodded. "Great."

"We have to go get him," Elena said.

"We are, just as soon as I go to get my charger from my house." Miranda said. "I'll be right back." And then she was gone.

"What did she—" Elena began but was interrupted as Miranda opened the front door and called in.

"Alright, let's go. Better bring a coat and an umbrella Elena; it's pouring cats and dogs out there."

I smirked and I motioned for Elena to go ahead.

Finding the house that Pearl had mentioned yesterday morning wasn't too hard; it was in a remote area surrounded by trees. Elena had stayed in the car while Miranda and I went to get Stefan back.

"Pearl," I yelled as I knocked on the door. "You open this door or I swear to God I'll bust through and rip your head off!"

The door opened and the vampire who attacked us last night appeared in the opening. "Pearl's not home," he answered. "Beautiful weather; not a ray of sun in the sky."

"Where's my brother?" I asked. The asshole opened the door wider and called out.

"Billy!" He moved from the doorway and my eyes widened with anger as I saw two other tomb vampires drag a panting, crying Stefan out into the hall from another room.

"You're dead," I growled and tried to enter the house. I felt the barrier at the threshold stop me cold. Miranda put a hand on my arm and pulled me back; I could hear her hold back a sob.

"Oh, I'm sorry, you haven't been invited in," the vampire taunted. "Miss Gibbons," he said. A woman with bite marks all over her skin walked over to him.

"Yes Frederick, honey?" she asked.

"Never let this bad man in…or his friend." Frederick compelled her.

"I'll never let them in," she spoke slowly, nodding. She walked away with a smile.

"Miranda, right?" he asked Miranda. Miranda choked back another sob, and glared at him as if she were thinking of ways to kill him.

"You don't get to talk to her," I growled at him. "I'll rip you apart if you even look at her."

"145 years left starving in a tomb, thanks to Katherine's infatuation with you and your brother," Frederick stated. "Plus the fact that she was trying to make your little _girlfriend_ disappear. For the first few weeks, every single nerve in your body screams with fire…the kind of pain that can drive a person mad. Well, I thought your brother might want to get a taste of that before I killed him. Billy!" he called back again.

"Billy" shoved a stake into Stefan's stomach, and Stefan groaned as he fell to the floor. All Miranda and I could do was stand there and watch.

"You have a nice day," Frederick said before closing the door. Miranda turned me around and wrapped her arms around my waist, hugging me tightly.

"He looked like he was in agony," she whispered. I put my arms around her and nodded.

"Yeah, but he'll be ok," I replied. "Come on, let's go tell Elena and find a way to get him out of there." She pulled back and gave me a small smile. I grasped her hand tightly in mine and we ran back to the car, getting soaked on the way there.

Elena got out of the car with her umbrella and approached us.

"What happened? Where is he?" she asked.

"They have him but we can't get in," I replied.

"Why not?"

"The woman who owns the house is compelled not to invite us inside," Miranda said.

"I can get in," she stated.

"You're not going in there," I said, stopping her.

"I'm going," she protested.

"You'd be crazy to go in there; you'll get killed." Miranda informed her.

"Why are they doing this?" Elena asked. "What do they want with him?"

"Revenge; they want revenge," I stated.

"We've got to do something," Elena said. "We can't let them hurt him, we've got to get him out of there.

"I know," I sighed. "But we don't know how to get him out."

"We have to work on a plan," Miranda said, leading Elena back into the car. "Come on, standing here in the rain won't help any."

As we drove Elena back home, I thought of that vampire hunter history teacher. Stefan had said something about him coming back to life…he seemed fearless when it came to vampires. Maybe he could be some help.

"Little detour ladies," I said as I made a left right turn to head towards the high school.

"What are you doing?" Miranda asked as the car drove into a rather large puddle of water.

"Change of plans," I replied. "Elena, you're not going home yet. We have to make a pit stop."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I stood next to Damon inside of the high school; Elena was sitting inside the classroom waiting patiently.

"How do you even know he's here?" I asked Damon. "He could be at home."

"He'll be here," Damon reassured me. Footsteps echoed through the halls and Damon gave me a condescending smirk.

He stepped into the hallway and faced the teacher; I followed, having to be the responsible one in case Damon went berserk and made the poor guy bleed to death. "Well, don't you look alive?" Damon said.

"You can't hurt me," Alaric replied.

"Oh, I can hurt you alright," Damon taunted.

"Don't mess with the guy," I whispered. "We need him."

"Mr. Saltzman," Elena said, stepping into the hall. "We need your help." He nodded and we walked inside his classroom. Elena began explaining the problem.

"Stefan's in the house; Damon's a vampire, he can't get in; neither can Miranda. We need you. I would go, but..."

"But her life is valuable. Yours, on the other hand, is…"

"Don't even finish that sentence," I cut him off, annoyed.

"Stefan told me about your ring," Elena informed Alaric.

"What about it?" he asked.

"Let me re-cap: You tried to kill me, I defended myself, you died, and—according to my brother—your ring brought you back to life." Damon thought about it for a second. "Am I leaving anything out?"

"Yeah, the part where I try and kill you again. Only this time, I don't miss." Alaric got up and glared at Damon.

"Mr. Saltzman," Elena went over to him. "Please, it's Stefan." The thunder rumbled outside as the rain continued to pour.

"I'm sorry Elena," he apologized. "It's not my problem."

"That's a shame, 'cause the woman in charge of the crowd can help you find your wife." Damon commented.

"You're lying," Alaric stated.

"Am I?" Damon asked. "Why don't you ask her yourself?" he waited another second. "Coward. Come on, we're leaving." Elena and I followed Damon towards the classroom door. I sent an apologetic smile towards Alaric, and he stared down at his ring.

"Wait," he called out as we reached the door. "All right, I'll go." He opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a few things out and placed them on the desk.

"Teacher by day, vampire hunter by night," Damon said.

"I have to thank you for that," Alaric told him.

"What are these?" Elena asked, looking at a syringe-like object.

"They're tranquilizer darts filled with vervain," Alaric answered. I picked on up and looked at it.

"Just get me in there and I'll get Stefan out," Damon sighed.

"That's your plan? You're going to take them all on yourself?" Elena asked.

"Well, hopefully a little more stealthily," he said.

"I'm coming with you," I told him. "26-2 is better than 26-1."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Damon smirked. "You're like my sidekick."

"Very funny." I replied. Elena picked up one of the darts.

"What are you doing?" Alaric asked.

"No," we all protested.

"No way," Damon finalized.

"You need me," she replied. "I'll get in, you can distract them, and then I can get Stefan out."

"You'll get yourself killed," I informed her.

"You're not going in," Damon said, then turned to Alaric. "When you get us in, get out as quickly as you can. We can sneak around so they can't hear us…unless Miranda is clumsy."

"I only fell down a flight of stairs once," I protested.

"Whatever," he scoffed. "You'll basically just be in the way." He told Alaric.

"Damon, now's not the time to be the Lone Ranger."

"You hear that Tonto?" Damon asked me. "Fine Elena, you can drive the getaway car. But you cannot go into the house."

"You can't stop me," Elena said. "It's Stefan we're talking about here; you don't understand."

"Oh, I understand, I understand; he's the reason you live... his love lifts you up where you belong... I get it." Damon replied.

"Can you just not joke around for two seconds?" Elena asked.

"I can't protect you, Elena. I don't know how many vampires there are in there," he snapped his fingers. "That's how long it takes you to get your head ripped off. We have to be able to get in and get out; we can't be distracted with your safety, or this will end up a bloodbath that none of us walk away from. Including Stefan. I know, I get it."

"If we're going to go, then let's go," Alaric suggested. He picked up all of his things and we all walked out of the classroom.

"You alright there, Tonto?" Damon asked me.

"Seriously?" I asked him. "Are you going to keep calling me that?"

"Well, I am the Lone Ranger, and you are my sidekick."

"I'll give you five bucks to stop," I bribed him.

"Fine," he agreed. I pulled a five out of my pocket and handed it to him as he smirked. "Jackass."

**A/N: Hope you enjoy it. More to come soon!**


	15. Bonding Time

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

Damon parked his car in the forest out of view from the house, and we geared up with Alaric's vampire killing stuff.

"You better stay in the car, Elena." Damon told her as Alaric began walking towards the house.

"Here," I said, giving her one of the vervain darts. "This is in case you need it in an emergency."

"Thanks," she replied. "You guys better get going. I'll stay here, I promise." Damon and I got out of the car and ran to the house, darting behind trees so we wouldn't be seen. We walked around to the back door like we had discussed with Alaric.

"How long do you think he's going to be?" I asked.

"Not long, he just needs to convince them he's pathetic. It should be easy enough for him." Immediately, the door opened to reveal Alaric and Ms. Gibbons.

"Oh I'm sorry," she stated politely. "They're not allowed in the house."

"Yeah I know, but you have to make an exception."

"Get her out of the house," Damon said to Alaric, who pushed Ms. Gibbons out the door. I knew what Damon was thinking, you could see it on his face. Damon put his hands on her shoulders.

"Now, Ms. Gibbons. Tell me the truth. Are you married?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head.

"Parents, children, anyone else who lives on this property?"

"No, it's just me," she replied smiling.

"Good," Damon stated, snapping her neck quickly. I walked inside the house with ease and Damon followed.

"You were supposed to compel her," Alaric protested.

"It's too late," I replied.

"It doesn't work that way." Damon added.

"She's human." Alaric said.

"And I'm not, so I don't care! Now get out of here... and get rid of the body." Damon hissed at him. He carefully closed the door and then turned to me.

"You're going to be ok by yourself?" he asked.

"Yeah, I've got it handled. Just don't kill me by mistake." I told him. He looked into my eyes and then pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"I won't, be careful." He said before running off down the hall. I turned and looked around the kitchen before walking down another hall; I pulled a stake out of my jacket pocket. There was a vampire standing at the end of the hall, looking out the window. I walked towards him and pinned him to the ground.

"M-Miranda Arlington?" he stuttered. I recognized him from 1864; I looked down and saw he had blood on his hands

"Surprise surprise," I exclaimed, via Gomer Pyle, and shoved the stake into his chest before letting him hit the ground silently.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I walked towards the door to the cellar, and suddenly I felt someone run into me. I turned and saw it was Miranda.

"What the hell?" I whispered. "I thought you were going to be quiet. How many did you get?"

"Three," she whispered back. "Is he down there?"

"I think so." We slowly walked down the steps, making sure they didn't creak, and reached the cellar. I heard a rapid heartbeat, and I rolled my eyes. Elena. I saw a vampire walk down the hall and I stabbed him with a vervain dart. He fell to the ground immediately.

"Elena, what are you doing here?" Miranda asked.

"Are you insane?" I asked.

"I'm sorry, but I was bored and I thought I could help," she apologize. Miranda pushed me.

"Let's go get Stefan and then we can _all_ get out of here, ok?" she suggested. I nodded and we all started walking through the cellar, trying to find where they had put Stefan. Elena opened a door and gasped, causing Miranda and I to follow.

Stefan was hanging from a rope, his shirt off and skin stained with blood.

"Elena, you shouldn't be here," he said, his voice raw.

"She was supposed to stay in the car," I said. I was about to stake a vampire who was tied to a chair when Stefan told me to stop.

"Not him," he said. "Not him."

"Whatever," I replied, putting the stake in my pocket.

"Let's get you down from there," Miranda said. I walked over to untie him and he stopped me.

"There's vervain on the ropes," he whispered.

"Elena, could you take care of that?" Miranda asked. She pulled a switchblade from her jacket and began working on the ropes binding Stefan's feet, careful not to touch them.

"You carry a knife with you?" I asked.

"I found it at the bottom of my Burn Box; today proves that it was a good idea to keep it," she replied nonchalantly. Elena got the ropes untied and I caught Stefan before he fell to the floor. He was a little unsteady on his feet.

"Alright, let's go. Clothes on," I told them.

"Wait!" Stefan exclaimed.

"What?" I asked. "Guys come on, we have to get out of here." Stefan pulled stakes out of the tied up vampires legs. I looked out into the hall, Miranda walked over and Elena helped Stefan to the door.

"Are you going to get him into the car?" I asked.

"Yeah, what about you?" Elena asked.

"Miranda and I will distract while you get him out there, go!" I pulled Miranda up the stairs with me. The music from where the other tomb vampires were had turned down and carefully hid.

I handed Miranda a stake that I had and she ran off, staking one of the vampire without being seen. That caused quite a bit of commotion as Frederick had the rest of them spread out through the house.

"Good job," I told her when she got back. "Go after some of them, but leave that bastard to me." She nodded and then was gone. I followed Frederick before running at him and slamming him into a wall; he pushed me back and then got a few punches in before I tackled him to the ground.

Two vampires hauled me off of him and threw me to the floor; I got one of them, but a gunshot rang through the house and I turned and saw the other one fall to the floor. Alaric stood there with a smoking shotgun and looked over at me. Miranda ran into the hall and stared wide eyed at the two of us.

"I got all of the ones upstairs," she said.

"I'm going after Frederick," I stated, running in the direction he went. I looked around the house, trying to follow his scent, but when I couldn't find him, I went back to where Miranda and Alaric were.

"Frederick's gone," I said. "What happened?" I asked as I saw Miranda help Alaric off the floor.

"Nothing," Miranda replied. "I took care of it."

"Let's get out of here," Alaric suggested.

"I'm going to kill him," I growled.

We walked to the door and stepped onto the porch. Walking towards the house were a bunch of vampires; we stopped cold.

"This…isn't good," Miranda muttered.

"How many of those vervain darts do you have left?" I asked.

"One," Alaric replied.

"Not gonna be enough," I stated. We backed up and walked into the house, shutting the door behind us.

"What you said to get me to do this—about my wife—that was a lie. Wasn't it?" Alaric asked.

"Yep," I replied. There were noises coming from the other side of the door.

"Stop!" Pearl's voice could be heard through the door. "What's going on here?" The door opened and she walked into the house with Anna. She saw all the dead bodies and looked at me.

"What did you do?" she asked.

"Me?" I asked, shocked. "Your merry little band of vampires spent the day torturing my brother." Pearl looked shocked.

"Trust me; the parties responsible for this will be dealt with." She tried to assure me.

"Our little arrangement doesn't work unless you learn to control them." I told her.

"This wasn't supposed to happen."

"Well it did; if I had a good side…not a good way to get on it." I walked out the door, and Miranda and Alaric followed closely behind me.

"What now?" Miranda asked as we slowly walked to the car.

"Now we go home," I told her.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

Damon dropped Stefan with Elena at her house, and then dropped me off at the Boarding House before driving off again. I waited in the library for one of the brothers to get home—I didn't want to leave the house empty—and listened to some soft calming music to relax.

"You're boring, Miranda." Damon's voice broke through my concentration. "You only listen to twinkling lullabies and broken hearted love songs."

"Well, golly Damon, I can't believe no one figured it out before," I replied sarcastically. "I happen to like all types of music. Where've you been?"

"Why, did I break curfew?" he asked, smirking. "I was at the Grill, having a drink with our_ good friend_ Alaric."

"Is that all that there is to you?" I asked him. "Booze and death?"

"More or less." He walked over and sat next to me on the couch. "Are you getting tired of it?" he asked.

"No, I'm just wondering how you are so complex, but so simple at the same time," I replied with a smile. "What you did today was admirable."

"Well, the guy did break into my home and try to kill all three of us. I had to let those bastards know that nobody messes with me." Damon smirked, acting pretentious.

"No, I mean for Stefan. You took charge and got him out of there at any cost; you were the total protective older brother." I explained. "You reminded me of my older brother."

"Brother?" he asked, turning towards me. "You never told me you had a brother; where is he?"

"Dead," I replied, trying to get off the subject. "I try not to think of him too often."

"So is that how you see me?" Damon asked. "I'm like your cool older brother?"

"Oh God no! Don't even say that as a joke." I laughed, punching his arm lightly. He turned and moved closer to me, pushing my hair off of my shoulder and pressing his nose to my neck.

"Then what am I to you?" he asked, looking into my eyes. "Friend, enemy, accomplice?"

"I—" I started. What could I tell him?

"Yes?" Damon asked, his voice smooth and deep. Part of me felt like he was waiting for the answer to see if it was the _right _answer. Did I even know what the right answer was?

"I don't—" I began, but was immediately cut short as Damon captured my lips with his in a short chaste kiss. He pulled away—his face so close to mine—and I was speechless.

"Does that…sway your decision?" he whispered, smirking. I shook my head and put my hand behind his neck, pulling him closer so our lips pressed together; this obviously shocked Damon and he pulled back.

"And that means that you like me?" he asked.

"I tolerate you," I whispered. He smiled and brought his hand up and cupped my face before kissing me. This kiss was lustful and demanding, and I moaned slowly, surprising myself.

I could feel Damon smirk against my lips and then almost immediately, I was sitting on Damon's lap, straddling him; his hands were on my waist, holding me in place. He moved his lips from mine and then placed a trail of kisses to my neck, where he playfully bit me. I moved my hand into his silky hair as he kissed and sucked the nape of my neck.

I was about to pull him back to kiss him again when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. Damon groaned against my skin and chuckled slightly.

"That spices things up quickly," he whispered. I moved to answer my phone as it vibrated again, but Damon grabbed my wrist to stop me. "Don't," he protested.

"I have to," I replied. There was only one person that would be calling me this late; I had to answer it. I pulled the phone out of my pocket and it was immediately snatched from my hands and thrown across the room to the armchair in the corner.

"That's not nice, Damon." I said, trying to get up and answer it.

"Yes it is," he replied. "It was interrupting our…quality bonding time." He removed his face from my neck and gave me a smirk. The phone stopped vibrating and I finally got free to go and check it.

"Shit," I cursed, seeing the number, then I stamped my foot on the floor.

"What is it?" Damon asked casually.

"Nothing," I replied, stowing the phone back in my pocket. I heard a noise from upstairs and tilted my head a little. "Is Stefan home?"

"I don't know, why?" Damon asked, getting off the couch.

"There was a noise upstairs," I replied.

"Psh, scaredy cat," he taunted. I rolled my eyes and we both went upstairs to go see what was going on. The door to Stefan's room was open and the light was on, and we walked inside. The first thing I saw was an empty blood bag on the floor by my foot, before Damon pulled my attention to another one sitting on a stack of books.

There was a grunting sound and we turned to see Stefan sitting in a corner, drinking from a blood bag. His mouth was stained red, and his eyes were filled tears and clouded with blood lust. This wasn't going to be good.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think.**


	16. Flowers for my Funeral

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

I left shortly after Stefan became slightly lucid again; he picked up all the empty blood bags and threw them into the garbage before crawling into his bed. Damon and I left the room, closing the door behind us and walked down the hall.

"Do you want to stay?" he asked. "That was…a mess."

"No, I have to go back to my house, I think my goldfish died." I said.

"You don't have goldfish," he smirked.

"See, I've been spending so much time here, I forgot I didn't have goldfish. But I'll call and check in tomorrow, to see how he's doing."

In the present day, I sat in my living room after a good night's sleep and long morning trying my hand at crepes suzette. I was lucky to have a fire extinguisher handy for the first few tries, because they didn't turn out too well.

The doorbell rang and I turned to look out the window. There was a man in a blue delivery man's suit, waiting impatiently. I put my plate down on the coffee table and turned the television off; I went over to the door and opened it.

The man turned around and smiled.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"Yeah, I have a delivery for a…Miranda," he said, looking up from his little clipboard.

"Ok, sure," I replied. "No last name on your sheet thing?"

"Nope, just Miranda. The sender sent it uh, for the funeral?" he asked. "Does that sound right?"

"Sure," I smile falsely. "Whatever." The guy nodded and walked out to his truck before bringing a flower arrangement in a clear vase back to the door. It had white flowers mixed with greenery; lilies, roses, gladioluses and baby's breath. He walked in and placed it on the table in the hall.

"Have a nice day," he said as he left. "I'm sorry for your loss." I shut the door as he left and I walked over to the flowers; there was a card stuck with them. I picked it out carefully and was almost scared to read it.

_Miranda,_

_ I'm closer than you think; I'm sorry these won't last until the funeral. Yours._

I put the card onto the table and the doorbell rang again. "How many people are going to ring the doorbell when I'm still in my PJ's?" I asked myself. I opened the door to see Damon with a scowl on his face.

"What jumped up your ass?" I asked. The look disappeared, and he walked inside.

"Nothing."

"How's Stefan doing?"

"He's in denial," Damon replied. "He says he doesn't want to drink human blood under any circumstances. He's content drinking from Scooby-Doo and Bambi."

"Ok ew," I said. "That didn't put a good image in my head."

"Where'd you get the flowers?" he asked, pointing over my shoulder.

"Delivery man dropped them off for the funeral," I replied, walking into the living room and sitting back on the couch.

"Whose funeral?" Damon followed me and looked at me questioningly.

"Mine, apparently. Death threats and what not." I replied. "Same old, same old." I tried to pass it off as nothing, but I guess it wasn't working.

"I'm going to find that bastard and kill him," Damon growled.

"You aren't going to do _anything_," I replied. "This guy wants me, so I will deal with him. If you get in the way—"

"Protecting you isn't getting in the way," Damon stated.

"I can protect myself," I replied. "I have for…God knows how long. Anyways, on another topic, why are you here? I thought I was going to call you."

"I was in the neighborhood—" he began.

"The Founders' Hall is not exactly down the street from my house," I interrupted.

"As I was on my way home—" he continued.

"And you live on the other side of town."

"Wow, you make it hard for someone to ask you out," he scoffed and smiled at me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"I was coming over here to see if you wanted to accompany me to the Founder's Day Kick-off Party tonight."

"Were you now?" I crossed my arms and stared at him. "What's the deal; you're up to something."

"I am not up to something…not really," Damon started. "But I can't go with Stefan as my date, and I can't _not_ go because—other than the fact that I'm part of a founding family—I have to keep an eye on Stefan. So will you go with me?"

"What are the plans?"

"Watching Stefan, drinking, dancing, and dressing fancy. Plus, you won't seem like the weird girl who moved in and didn't meet anyone who lives in town. It'll take suspicions off of _you_ if you go with me," he reasoned.

"It seems a little short notice," I stated.

"Oh, don't tell me that you don't have any dresses in your crazy large wardrobe of yours? I find that hard to believe."

"Ugh…fine," I groaned after a few minutes of thinking. Damon smiled victoriously before getting a look on his face; he stated smelling the air.

"Did you burn something?" he asked.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

Miranda was up in her bedroom changing her clothes when I got a phone call from Elena.

"Elena," I greeted as I answered the phone. "To what do I owe this honor?"

"Can you and Miranda come over here so I can have a conversation with you about Stefan?" she asked.

"Sure, we'll be there in a second," I told her and I closed the phone. I walked over to the staircase, and tapped a beat on the banister.

"Hey slowpoke, it's field trip time!" I called up to her.

"Seriously? I can't believe I spend almost every moment of my day dealing with some crap" she replied, turning to walk down the stairs. "Where are we going?"

"Elena's house," I replied. She nodded and we walked out of her house and across the street to Elena's. I knocked on the door and Elena opened it immediately.

"Oh good, you're here." Elena sighed.

"You ask, I come. I'm easy like that," I replied, earning me a slap in the arm from Miranda.

"Hi Elena, how are you?" Miranda said, smiling.

"Good," Elena replied. She put a finger to her lips and pointed down the hall to Jeremy, who was eating breakfast. Then she pointed towards the upstairs.

"No Elena," I stated loudly. "We will not go to your bedroom with you." Elena rolled her eyed and Miranda pushed me to go upstairs. We followed her us to her room and I looked around.

"Ah, just like I remembered." I said causing Elena to roll her eyes.

"Stop messing around," she stated. I picked up a teddy bear from Elena's bed and made myself comfortable on it.

"Must you touch everything?" Miranda asked, snatching the bear from my hands and placing it carefully on the nightstand. I smirked and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her towards me, causing her to sit on my lap.

"Of course I do," I replied, leaning in close to her. "It makes everything more fun." She shook her head and smiled.

"You're so weird," she sighed. I smirked and kissed her cheek.

"You _like_ me weird." I replied. I turned my attention back to Elena, who was watching us with a smile. "Anyways, did you know your uncle's been kickin' it with the Founder's Council?" I asked.

"What?" she asked, shocked.

"Yep," I replied.

"Perfect. We'll just add it to the growing list of how everything's falling apart," Elena sighed, crossing her arms.

"What happened over there?" Miranda asked, pointing to the corner of the room, where there was a mess of smashed stuff.

"Nothing, it's fine," Elena replied. "Look, I'm worried about Stefan. He says everything's okay but he's clearly struggling. How long is it going to take before he's back to normal?"

"A few days, give or take."

"It's been a few days," Elena complained.

"Give then," I replied. "I don't know; what's the big deal?"

"He's not himself," Elena complained.

"Personality changes?" Miranda asked me.

"Uncharacteristically so," I replied, before pushing her off my lap and getting off the bed. I walked over to the dresser and examined the things on top of it."Well maybe his problem is he spent way to long not being himself?" I opened began opening a drawer but Miranda slammed it shut before I could see what was inside. Instead, I pulled a picture from the corner of Elena's mirror.

"Please don't make me sorry for asking you," Elena sighed.

"It is what it is Elena," I replied. "The Stefan you know is good behavior Stefan, reign it in Stefan, fight against this nature to an annoyingly obsessive level Stefan."

"Parole Stefan. He needs to keep himself in check constantly," Miranda added, walking and looking out the window.

"But if you think there's not another part to this, than you have not been paying attention." I continued.

"He's not you," Elena said, walking over and snatching the picture from my hand. "Not even close."

"He's a wanna-be me, but that doesn't mean deep down he's not." I replied. "You ready to go Mi—what are you looking at?" I asked.

"Hmm?" she immediately turned from the window to look at me. "Nothing, let's go. It was good to see you Elena; things with Stefan are going to turn out fine."

We walked downstairs and out of the house. She was about to cross the street to go back to her house when I stopped her.

"Hey, what is up with you?" I asked.

"I just…there's something off. I was getting this weird vibe from the inside of the house." She explained. "I don't know, maybe I'm just going crazy?"

"I think you already hit crazy a few decades ago," I said, smirking.

"You are not a nice person," she replied.

"No, I'm not," I said. "I have a few things to do now."

"Whatever," she sighed. "Go and plan another one of your diabolical schemes. I'll see you later." She turned and walked across the street to her house and waved goodbye as she opened the front door.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

The doorbell rang as I was looking through the various pairs of shoes I had lined at the bottom of my closet. I groaned and I stood up straight, picking up a pair of black and grey wingtip style heels; I wore a dress that had a light grey halter bodice, a flowy black knee-length skirt, and a cream colored waist bow. I was about to close the closet light as the doorbell rang again.

"Hold your horses," I screamed as I walked out of the closet. "What if I'm not home?" I murmured to myself.

"Of course you're home, the porch lights are on," I heard Damon's voice. I turned and saw him sitting on the open window sill.

"You couldn't just wait," I asked, pulling my shoes on. "I would've been ready in a second." I walked over to my dresser and grabbed a bracelet off the top. I tried to clasp it together and when I had some trouble, Damon walked over and helped me with it.

"You look delicious tonight," he commented. He lifted his hand up and ran a finger down my face to my neck, and then lifted up the silver skeleton key. "How come you still have it?"

"I like it," I replied, smiling.

"You could have gotten rid of it when you left; I hurt you, Miranda."

"I still loved you," I said. "I didn't want to just throw that away."

"You're a sentimental little thing, aren't you?" he whispered.

"You could say that," I replied. Damon looked into my eyes and leaned in close and his lips lightly brushed against mine. "Is Stefan with you?" I asked. He pulled away with an annoyed look on his face.

"Damn it, I shouldn't leave him in the car by himself," he grabbed my hand and pulled me downstairs. I grabbed my clutch purse on the way out of the room. "He's like almost like an un-potty-trained puppy."

"That isn't very nice," I commented.

"But it is very true," he replied. We walked out of the house and I saw Stefan sitting in the backseat of the car with his eyes closed and his head resting against the backseat. I opened the door to get in and Stefan looked at me.

"Hey Stefan, are you feeling better?" I asked.

"I'm working on it," he replied. "I've been better."

"You'll get there, one step at a time," I said.

"God, I can't believe you're encouraging him." Damon scoffed as we started driving.

"Although I don't approve of the…animal blood," I began, gagging slightly at the thought of animal blood. "I have to offer my support."

"And I appreciate it, Miranda. Thank you," Stefan said.

**A/N: I know, it should be longer. The next one will make up for it, I promise. I appreciate all the reviews and stuff so far. I'm happy that people like it. Stay tuned!**


	17. Dead Men Walking

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

We all walked up the steps of the Founder's Hall, and I spotted a sign for the event. Founders Day…150 Year Anniversary. Soft piano music was drifting outside from the party.

"I shouldn't be here," Stefan stated, looking up at the softly lit building.

"Come on. Don't be a downer," Damon consoled. "It's a party for the founding families: that would be us. It would be rude to skip it."

"Why is Miranda here, then?" Stefan asked.

"She's my arm candy," Damon looked over at me and smirked.

"I thought you liked me for my company," I protested.

"That…and the fact that you are smoking hot." Damon replied.

"I think I liked you better when you hated everybody," Stefan said.

"Oh, I still do; I just love that they love me." Damon smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good, I'm fine." Stefan quickly replied.

"No cravings? No urges? Is that whiskey you've been drinking all day been doing its job?" Damon asked.

I looked around the room and at all the different people; I didn't like big crowds. Gatherings this big, I could deal with; I always found a way to get people to like me. My gaze stopped at someone who I thought looked familiar, but my thoughts were pulled away by Damon.

"Don't embarrass me, young man," he said to Stefan as he walked away. Damon turned to me and smirked. "So, having fun?"

"We just got here," I stated.

"Boring music, people standing around and socializing; I thought you liked this kind of crap."

"I enjoy slow music when I'm trying to relax," I explained. "This seems a _little_ too stuffy. Whoever is in charge should really loosen up a little bit."

"I know what will make it fun," Damon said, grabbing my hand and lacing my fingers with his before dragging me off. "This place has to have a bar someplace."

"I should've guessed," I sighed. Damon pulled me down a hall crowded with people until we came to a room filled with people dancing to upbeat music; Elena stood by the bar watching Stefan dancing.

"See, alcohol _and_ Elena _and _a drunk Stefan. This is the fun room," Damon stated before leading me to the bar.

"Have we entered an alternate universe where Stefan is fun?" he asked Elena as we stopped next to her.

"That wasn't nice," I said, trying to hold back my laughter.

"Come on, you have to admit that was a little funny," he replied.

"Maybe just a little," I said, making a gesture with my thumb and forefinger.

"Is he going to be ok?" Elena asked, concerned.

"Eventually," Damon replied. "One way or another."

"Come on," Damon told me pulling me along after we got a couple drinks. "The night is young, and we are not spending it here watching my brother make a fool of himself."

"You really know a lot of people in this town," I said as we pushed through the crowds of people, frequently getting when people said hello to Damon.

"What can I say," he replied, turning to look at me. "Everyone just loves me. I'm handsome, funny, and—"

"Modest," I quickly added.

"That too; your very perceptive," Damon said. "Come one, I'll introduce you to Sheriff Forbes."

"Oh, Damon no." I protested as he lead us towards a woman with short blonde hair and a black dress.

"Relax, I have to talk to her anyways," he replied. "I love a woman in uniform, but I have to say you look smashing," Damon said to her as we got closer. She was looking very bashful and out of place.

"Thank you Damon, cheers. I needed that," she replied with a small smile. "Is this your date?"

"Yes," he said, squeezing my hand. "This is Miranda Avery; she just moved into Mystic Falls a few weeks ago."

"It's nice to meet you, Miranda. I've seen you around the town a few times. How did you two meet?" the sheriff asked.

"The Grill," we said simultaneously.

"Miranda was sitting by herself—reading, as usual—and I walked over to say hello." Damon began. "She is very friendly once she comes out of her shell a little bit." I smiled shyly and looked around, my eyes stopping on a familiar looking face. It almost felt like my heart stopped dead in my chest—if it were beating that is.

"—saying how she wants to be involved in town stuff, aren't you?" Damon's voice pulled me from my little zone out.

"Yeah, I'm very big on charities and fund raisers," I said, my voice shaking.

"We'll have to get you to talk with Carol Lockwood. I'm sure she'll happily take any help she can with event coordinating." Sheriff Forbes replied. I blinked and looked behind the Sheriff again, seeing those cold eyes again, before smiling politely to her and Damon.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to use the restroom. It was very nice meeting you Sheriff Forbes," I said, letting go of Damon's hand and turning to walk away.

I found the bathroom and was glad that it was empty. I leaned against the sink and looked at my reflection. I looked as if I had just seen a ghost; I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

_"I told you I would catch you, Miranda," the voice woke me up. The bastard injected me with vervain, knocking me out cold. I opened my eyes and saw his face staring at me from across the pristine white room. Those cold blue eyes of his held darkness within them._

_ "Where are we?" I asked, still half out of it._

_ "Heavenly Hills Funeral Home; I thought it would be best for them to find you here on Monday morning so the townspeople wouldn't be scared."_

_ "You are such a creepy stalker," I laughed at him_

_ "I just want to rid the world of people like you. Vampires like you."His voice echoed against the walls of the embalming room._

_ "What did I ever do to you?" He didn't answer my question. "You know I'll just run again," I stated matter-of-factly. He began laughing and pulled a gun out of his coat pocket. He pointed it at me and shot me in the stomach. _

_I screamed in agony; wooden bullets. It took a few minutes but I eventually healed completely. The vervain was still making me weak, so I couldn't get up off of the prep table yet. He was still laughing._

_ "You're shooting me with wooden bullets, you've been chasing me for…a year and a half. I don't even know your name." I choked out, trying to sit up._

_ "You're scared of me, Miranda," he said, taunting me. "Maybe you're not scared of dying, but I know you're scared of pain. You seemed like such a simple creature," he walked over, moving a strand of hair from my face. "But obviously I was wrong."_

_ I reached up and broke the bones in the fingers he touched me with, causing him to pull his hand away. I took the chance and got off the table, walking towards him and snapped his neck. His body dropped lifelessly to the floor, and I had to lean against a cabinet for support. I needed to get out of here; I needed blood._

"What's wrong, why did you leave back there?" I heard Damon's voice behind me after a few minutes. I opened my eyes and saw him standing behind me through the mirror.

"No reason, just nerves, I guess." I lied.

"I know your lying Miranda," he said, taking a step closer to me. "Tell me what's wrong." I took a deep breath and shook my head.

"He's here," I said. "Tonight. I saw him while we were talking to Sheriff Forbes."

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked angrily. I huffed and turned to face him. He stood in such close proximity, I could feel heat radiating from him.

"What was I supposed to say?" I asked. "Oh, Damon. That guy that's been stalking me, trying to kill me, is standing right over there. Let's go and rip his heart out of his chest in front of all these unsuspecting townspeople?"

"Ok, maybe that isn't the best idea," Damon replied. "Are you scared?"

"Yeah, a little. I didn't think he'd be this close." I said, shaking my head and looking at the floor.

"Calm down, it'll be fine," Damon cupped cheek in his hand and angled my face up so I was looking at him. "Everything is going to be just fine."

"Thanks for the reassurance," I replied. Damon smirked and leaned down, capturing my lips with his. I smirked and wrapped my arms around his neck, causing him to push me back until by lower back hit the edge of the sink counter.

Our lips moved together frantically, as if something was going to pull us apart at any moment. Damon's hands gripped my hips, causing me to sigh. Something in my mind kept nagging at me that this was incredibly inappropriate, especially in a public place; I pushed it away once Damon pulled away and picked me up, sitting me on the counter.

He moved to stand between my legs and began kissing my neck, sucking the skin above my veins. "You like my neck, don't you." I stated. "Are you going to bite me?" I whispered, smirking when he growled slightly. He moved away from my neck and attacked my lips again.

Suddenly the door opened and someone walked in, causing us both to pull away from each other and staring at the person who interrupted us.

"Oh my God," Elena exclaimed. "Sorry, sorry. I was just…yeah." She suddenly looked bashful and looked down at the floor. I cleared my throat and pushed Damon away from me so I could get down. I jumped off the counter and picked my clutch from the floor. It had probably fallen during our little…activity.

Damon grabbed my hand and we walked out of the bathroom. I looked over at Elena, who was watching me with an amused look on her face. I never blushed so much in my whole life, I was so embarrassed. BUSTED!

* * *

**Damon's POV**

Miranda and I stood on the balcony, looking over the patio behind the Founder's Hall. We hadn't spoken a word to each other since we left the bathroom. I forced myself to keep the smirk on my face; she was a different kind of kisser than she was in 1864. Back then she was…bashful and polite, and now she was fiery and—dare I say it—experienced. I felt myself getting angry at the thought of someone else kissing her.

"So," I began, but was immediately shut down by Miranda.

"Shut up," she said, knocking back the glass of whiskey she got before we came outside. There were footsteps behind me and I knew who it was.

"Damon, right?" he asked. John Gilbert—the talk of the town, man of the hour, the prodigal son of Mystic Falls.

"John," I said, turning to face him.

"We didn't get a chance to meet at the council meeting," he stated

"Yeah, it's a pleasure. Are you enjoying the Kick-off?" I asked.

"Oh yeah. I'd forgotten how much fun these small town celebrations can be," he answered.

"Yeah," I said. "When's the last time you were here?"

"It hasn't been that long," John replied. "My brother's funeral. How long have _you_ been in town?"

"Not long at all," I replied nonchalantly. I looked over to Miranda, who had placed her glass on the ledge of the balcony and was covering her face with her hands. She was whispering something to herself.

"I'm not going to look…" was all I could make out from her muffled words. I turned back to John, who was smirking.

"So what do you think, Damon?" he asked. "You think know vampire problem is real right? Potential bloodbath."

"Well, I wouldn't overreact John." I replied.

"I think it's like 1864 all over again," he stated, taking a step closer. "Vampires running amok. I guess we're going to just have to hunt them down, throw them in a church and burn them to ash."

"That's the story," I forced out; he was already on my nerves and this little chat wasn't helping him.

"Part of the story," he interjected.

"There's more?" I asked.

"Oh, there's a lot more. See, it seems that there was a tomb under the church. The vampires were hidden away waiting for someone to come along and set them free..But then you already knew that, Didn't you? Being that you're the one that did it." I looked over at him and he smiled smugly. Of course he would know.

"And you're telling me this…why?" I asked.

"I just thought we'd get the introductions out of the way," he stated.

"Good, well you know that I could rip your throat out before anyone could notice," I informed him.

"Right," he said.

"Yeah, ok," I continued. "But you probably ingest vervain so…"

"Why don't you take a bite?" he taunted. "Find out."

"It's not worth my time," I informed him, walking towards Miranda.

"What about your little girlfriend over there?" he asked. Miranda immediately looked over at us. Her eyes were wide with horror, and she focused her gaze to me.

"Long time, no see Miranda," he said. "Did you really think you could get away from me?"

She opened her mouth and blinked a few times before closing it.

"What's he talking about?" I whispered so only she could hear.

"It's him," she whispered back. I looked at John, who had a victorious look on his face. I watched him and suddenly sped over to him and snapped his neck.

"No, Damon don't," Miranda protested before I threw him over the edge of the balcony. I walked back over to her and grabbed her hand before we walked back inside.

"Why didn't you tell me John Gilbert was trying to kill you," I asked.

"I never knew his name. Gilbert?" she asked in return.

"He's Elena's uncle," I replied. "But we don't have to deal with him anymore. Now we have to find Stefan."

Stefan was in a hallway drinking from a flute of champagne. I guess he was mixing it up tonight.

"Do you want to hear the bad news," I began. "Or the _really_ bad news."

"Actually, I don't want _any _news, Damon."

"Just tell him," Miranda sighed.

"Fine. Do you wanna hear that the council's back in vampire mode or how I just killed Uncle John Gilbert?" I asked with a smirk.

"What?" he seemed stunned.

"Great party, by the way, huh?" I said, and Miranda rolled her eyes. I pulled her away again.

"Damon! Miranda, what did he mean?" he called after us.

"Great, shortest conversation in the world," Miranda exclaimed with a small smile on her lips.

"I'm a man of few words," I replied, causing her to roll her eyes.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

We stood in the "fun room" as Damon called it, standing around, waiting for the night to be over already.

"Miranda, am I seeing things?" Damon asked to me. I looked at his face and then turned to look at where his gaze was pointed at. There, walking in the door, was John Gilbert. I closed my eyes and sighed.

"No, I see it too."

"You've got to be kidding me," Damon groaned. The crowd began to file into another room for some ceremony bullshit that the Mayor was starting. Damon and I walked in as John walked up to speak.

We walked over to Alaric, and Damon started talking.

"Look at his right hand," Damon whispered.

"Who's?" Alaric asked.

"The town's favorite son." Damon elaborated. "Look at his ring."

"It looks like mine," Alaric noticed.

"Yeah, and that'd be a big coincidence if he didn't just come back from the dead _five minutes ago_."

"Where did you get your ring?" I asked Alaric.

"I got it from Isobel, my wife." Damon began laughing as Alaric said this.

"Who gave birth to Elena under the medical care of the esteemed Dr. Grayson Gilbert…_John's brother!_"

"Not just a useless family heirloom, I guess." I commented.

"You think John knew Isobel?" Alaric asked.

"I think John knows a lot of things," Damon replied. "Let's go catch a rat."

Damon, Alaric and I waited by the door for John to leave the hall. Eventually, he walked out and we followed him outside.

"Going somewhere?" Damon asked.

"I never like to be the last one to leave a party. It's too desperate," John replied. "Are you here to kill me again, or are you going to let Mr. Saltzman do your dirty work?"

"Ok, so you obviously know who I am," Alaric stated, and we all stopped walking.

"I do; Alaric Saltzman, the high school teacher with a secret."

"You know your stuff," I said.

"Especially for someone who just got to town."

"I know more than you can imagine. My knowledge of this town goes beyond anything you or the council knows. So, if you were planning on some clever high speed snatch ring vamp kill move, know that if I die, everything I know goes to the council, including the fascinating little tale of the original Salvatore brothers and their present day return to Mystic Falls."

"You are a crafty jackass, aren't you?" I asked.

"Yes, lucky too. I just happened to trap you in that funeral home in Wisconsin _after_ I got my ring. Otherwise I'd be six-feet under right now," John said.

"How did you get that ring," Alaric asked.

"I inherited one. My brother, Gray, the other. This was his, although I wouldn't have given mine to Isobel had I known she'd handed it over to another guy."

"So you did know her," Damon asked.

"Who do you think sent her your way when she wanted to become a vampire?"

"_You _sent her?" Damon asked incredulously.

"Guilty. Why? Did you think someone else sent her? Maybe Katherine Pierce?"

"How do you know Katherine?"

"How do I know anything, Damon?" John asked.

"What do you want?"

"So many questions." John sighed. "We'll have to continue another time; it's fortunate that I'm staying across the street from dear Miranda." John smirked, pointing his finger over to me. "It's a pleasure meeting you, Ric. I've hears so much about you," John concluded, before walking away.

Damon got a pissed look on his face and he grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly. "Let's go."

Damon sat on my bed when I walked out of my bathroom, my pajamas on in place of my dress.

"I don't want you to stay here," Damon stated.

"Aw, I didn't know you cared," I said, smirking at him. "I'll be fine."

"Why is John Gilbert after you?" he asked.

"Long story…I'm not even sure _I_ know the whole thing." I sat down next to him and smiled. "Anyways, we have to handle one situation at a time."

"Do you have your creepy getaway bag packed?" Damon asked, ignoring my previous comment.

"You really _are_ worried about me, aren't you?" I asked.

"Me, worried? No, never. I'm just…" he stopped. "Do you feel safe here?"

"Not entirely, but I can't exactly practice my culinary skills in your poorly stocked kitchen," I stated.

"What's cooking?" he asked.

"You eat people food?"

"You make it sound like I'm a dog," Damon scoffed. "I do enjoy food when the occasion calls for it."

"How about," I began. "You come over tomorrow for lunch?"

"Then you have to stay at the Boarding House, at least until John Gilbert hauls out of town," he tried reasoning.

"Fine," I groaned. "Can you go now? I've had a long day and I need sleep."

"Alright," Damon said, standing up. "I'll see you tomorrow." He was instantly gone. I picked up the remote for my television, but before turning it on, I laughed and shook my head.

"Get out of my house," I yelled.

"Leaving," Damon yelled back. I heard the front door open and close, and his car drive down the street.

"My life is crazy," I sighed, turning my television on.

**A/N: There you go! I hope you enjoy it; more to come soon. Hopefully I will get it posted by tomorrow night. The reviews have been encouraging and great, thank you so much!**

**Also, I'd like to apologize to Sonny13 for the character mix up typo doo-dad. I feel so ashamed of myself to let something like that slip in my writing. So, SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY! It's all fixed now, and I hope we're cool.**


	18. The Beauty of a Spring Day

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

Four days; that's how long I've been stuck in the Boarding House. Damon let me go home to get things once a day, but if I was gone for longer than an hour, I would get a phone call or two.

"How's it going?" I heard Mr. Annoying ask as he walked into my room. I have my own room in the boarding house; I would call it a prisoner's cell if it wasn't so comfortable and big.

"I cook for you, and you practically lock me up, Damon. How does that seem fair?" I asked.

"Well…for starters you cook French food like a pro." Damon avoided my questions like a pro as he stood next to me by the window.

"Yes I know. I did go to culinary school in _France_. Don't flatter me to get out of the line of fire. I'm angry and you know it."

"Where do you get your blood stash from?" Damon asked, pointing to a travel cooler I had placed next to the bed.

"Blood bank in Richmond, why?" I asked.

"You drive two hours round trip for blood?" he asked, skeptically.

"Yes!" I exclaimed. "Why are you asking?"

"Someone's been stealing from the hospital blood bank here in Mystic Falls. The council is on the hunt," he replied. "Are you sure you don't take any from here?"

"Honestly," I scoffed. "Do you have an idea of who it is?"

"There are one or two people I can think of…Stefan being the main suspect," he said folding his arms over his chest. "You are allowed to roam around the house, you know."

"I know, otherwise I would have to throw you out of this window," I informed him, causing a smirk to appear on his lips.

"You could try," Damon said.

"I am stronger than you are, you know."

"Really? I couldn't tell."

"Shut up," I scoffed.

"Will you accompany me for a walk around Cell Block H?"

"It's not like I have anything better to do," I replied. "Stefan went to school today?"

"Yep. When he gets home, I have to have a little chat with him."

"This is going to turn into Masterpiece Mystery, isn't it Detective Inspector Dracula?" I asked.

"You think you're funny, don't you? Hopefully, it won't have to go that way."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

The door opened and shut quickly, signaling that Stefan was home from school. I pulled Miranda from a chair in the library where she was reading.

"Hey, what gives?" she exclaimed.

"He's home," I replied.

"So what?" she asked as I dragged her down the hall.

"I'm going for a good cop-bad cop approach and I need your help."

"Honestly," she sighed.

"How was school?" I asked Stefan as he dropped his backpack on the floor. He turned to face us and kept walking backwards.

"Fine," Stefan replied shortly.

"Quick answers, he's hiding something." Miranda whispered.

"Shut it," I whispered back. I turned my attention back to Stefan. "Yeah? Same old, same old? Nothing new; no stories to bring home?"

"You're making small talk, why?" Stefan asked.

"You seem awfully chipper lately; less doom and gloom, more pep in your step."

"And you think it's because I drank human blood again." Stefan stated.

"No, maybe it's because he thinks you're taking drugs," Miranda cut in with a smile. I rolled my eyes.

"Ignore her; I don't wanna brag, but I would definitely take responsibility for this new and improved you."

"I hate to burst your bubble, but I'm clean," Stefan said. "You too Miranda, but good theory." Stefan smiled and walked away.

"Not possible!" I exclaimed. Stefan turned and shot me a look.

"Not only is it possible, but it is quite true."

"Stefan, let's be serious. You spent the last century and a half being a poster child for Prozac, and now you expect me to believe that this new you has _nothing_ to do with human blood."

"I'm clean," Stefan stated.

"You lying—" I began.

"Believe what you want!" Stefan concluded, walking away.

"He'd hiding something," I told Miranda.

"No shit," she replied. "He has to be hiding his blood somewhere."

"Where do you hide yours?" I asked.

"Freezer in the basement," she stated. "It's dark, no one goes down there because it's pretty scary, no windows. Perfect hiding spot for blood…or a dead body. I have some theories…" she began trailing off and I snapped my fingers in front of her face.

"Focus." She smiled sheepishly and whispered an apology. "We'll wait until he goes down into the basement and then we'll confront him. There's nothing else down there that would be useful for him."

We waited for about an hour until Stefan sauntered down the stairs to the basement, his eyes shifting around to make sure no one was watching him. Ah, little brother, you need to pay a little more attention to your surroundings.

Miranda and I quickly followed him down the stairs and stood at the doorway as he opened the top of a brand new white freezer, revealing an endless amount of blood bags.

"Well well," I stated, causing Stefan to look over at us. "He's a liar _and _a thief."

"I wouldn't have pegged you as either Stefan," Miranda interjected disapprovingly.

"So, when were you going to share?" I asked. Stefan gestured towards the stash.

"Go ahead," he said. "Help yourself."

"No, I was talking about the fact that you're a closet blood junkie."

"So, I'm drinking blood again," he replied nonchalantly. "You're the one that shoved it on me. What's your problem? I have it under control."

"Under control?" I asked. "You robbed a hospital."

"So? Where does Miranda get her blood?"

"I buy mine, at top dollar if I might add," Miranda replied. "I have morals."

"What's your point?" Stefan asked.

"Fine, whatever man. Drink up," I stated. "Just remember we're trying to keep a low profile. Why don't you just walk up to Sheriff Forbes and ask her to tap a vein?"

"That would be amusing," Miranda laughed and I shot her a look. "Sorry, very inappropriate." Her face became stern.

"Have my actions negatively impacted you? I can't imagine what that must feel like," Stefan said sarcastically.

"What does Elena think about this? Have you told her?" Miranda asked.

"Nothing's changed, I'm still the same person."

"Clearly," I said.

"She doesn't need to know anything yet," Stefan added coolly.

"You've been off the human stuff for _years_ Stefan, and you're having trouble controlling—" Stefan cut me off.

"I'm not having trouble controlling it."

"Denial," Miranda whispered.

"Who do you think you're talking to? I know what it's like, that Jekyll and Hyde feeling. There's a switch that sometimes goes off and you snap. Right now is not a good time for me to worry about you snapping."

"We care about you Stefan," Miranda said. "You have a problem."

"I know that it pains you to see this," Stefan began. "But I'm fine, okay? So please, do me a favor and back off." He grabbed a blood bag from the freezer and walked away quickly.

"Do we need to take a hammer and pound his skull in for him to get it?" Miranda asked. "I swear that he's more stubborn than you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, feigning insult.

"You know," she stated simply. We slowly made our way back upstairs.

"You don't know how to do good cop-bad cop," I informed her.

"I could have told you that, but you were insistent on having me help you grill him."

"I needed some backup, you know, in case things went south fast."

"Alright Starsky, are we going to "case the joint" now to make sure nothing freaky is going down?" Miranda asked with a smile.

"You have a very active imagination," I told her. "I don't know where it comes from."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

The doorbell rang as we made it to the living room and I looked at Damon, who groaned in frustration.

"I wonder who that could be; the who town has already been here today," he stated, walking to the front door.

"Hey partner," I heard John's voice and cringed.

"What do you want?" Damon asked impolitely.

"You haven't been returning my calls," John replied.

"Most people take that as a hint," Damon sneered.

"Where do we start looking for vampires?" John asked walking into the room. He saw me sitting on the couch and smirked before pointing a finger at me. "Found one."

"Ha-ha. Don't quit your day job," I said.

"Ouch, you're not nice today."

"I wouldn't be nice to you _any_ day," I replied.

"Why the act, John?" Damon asked. "You obviously don't care about catching vampires, I mean, you're here talking to me."

"Actually, I care very much." John stated.

"What does Isobel say about that, considering she is one," Damon asked.

"Isobel and I share a common interest," John replied. "The original Jonathan Gilbert had an invention that was stolen by a vampire. That vampire was then burned alive in Fell's Church, or so he thought, and then the invention was lost forever."

"Interesting story Johnny," I commented.

"I'm not done," John stated.

"She has a point, you do have marvelous story-telling skills." Damon defended me.

"The vampires weren't killed, were they?" John continued. "They were trapped, and now they're free thanks to you. Which means the invention is retrievable."

"Well, what is it?" Damon asked.

"The only thing that matters is that I want it back, and you're going to help me if you want your secret safe."

"Why bring me into it John? I don't even know what you're talking about much less who has it."

"Oh, come on Damon," John turned to Damon. "You were around back then; you know who these people are, what they look like. He was friendly with a woman who turned out to be a vampire; her name was Pearl. Does that ring a bell?"

"I'm not playing anymore. Get out," Damon said.

"I beg your pardon?" John asked.

"You know, I only entertain this whole blackmail scheme of yours because I thought you and Isobel could lead me to Katherine. But see, now I know you have no idea where Katherine is, because if you did, you would know that Katherine and Pearl were best friends. You don't know everything, do you John?"

"I'll tell the entire council what you are." John threatened.

"Go for it! I'll kill every last one of them. Then I'll sever your hand, pull your ring off, and I'll kill you, too!" Damon replied. "Maybe Miranda would want a piece of the action too, since you have been tormenting her. Right?"

"Revenge is my middle name," I replied.

"Do you understand?" Damon asked John. "Get out of my house." John sighed and reluctantly walked out the front door, taking one last glance at us before he left. "I hate that guy," Damon muttered as he walked over and sat down next to me.

"I think everyone hates him," I stated. I began thinking about the look in John's eyes; rage and hate and disgust all rolled into one. "I doubt he likes anyone that much either."

"Where are you going?" Damon spoke, causing me to turn and see Stefan walking towards the door.

"I have to go and help Elena practice for the Miss Mystic pageant," he replied.

"Sounds like fun," I stated. Stefan nodded his head and walked out the door.

"Another social event," Damon grumbled. "You up for it?"

"Are you dragging me to this one too?" I asked.

"It'll be fun," Damon tried to convince me to go. "Besides, we have to be there to support Elena."

"You said the Kick-off party would be fun."

"I thought that we had a lot of fun," Damon whispered into my ear, causing a chill to go through my body. "Too bad Elena had to interrupt us."

"If I go, will you stop acting like a jerk?" I asked.

"Maybe; say yes and find out. Technically, you still owe me. I asked you to the Founder's Ball in 1864 and you refused my invitation. Twice. And then you skipped town."

"You're using _that_ to get me to go?" I asked.

"Yes," Damon replied with a smirk.

"Fine. It's almost impossible to say no to you," I groaned, pushing him away from me.

"I think I could use that to my advantage," Damon said with a smirk.

"Almost…almost impossible," I replied, getting up off the couch and running up to my room.

I had been a loner for a long time; no matter how many people—vampires or humans—I had been surrounded by, I still felt alone. I died alone, I woke up alone, and I fed on blood for the first time alone. Locking myself in a room for two days without speaking to anyone wasn't exactly a big deal for me. I needed reflection time, and since I was in the boarding house with the Salvatore brothers, peace and quiet wasn't exactly an option.

I woke up on the morning of the pageant and I looked out the window to see that it was a beautiful, sunny spring day. There was a knock on my door.

"We're leaving in an hour," Damon called inside. "Say something so I know you aren't dead."

"Go to hell," I yelled; there was silence and then I heard him walk away.

I hauled myself out of bed and started getting dressed. I had gone to bed without straightening my hair, so now it was a mess of thick curls. I frowned as I put it up into a high ponytail, letting a few curls fall and frame my face.

I unzipped my garment bag and put on my dress. It was a champagne colored strapless dress, with a lace overlay on the bodice, and a tiered ruffle knee-length skirt. A dark navy satin sash encircled my waist three times before tying in a bow above my left hip. I added a pair of matching peep toe cutout heels for shoes and a ruffled clutch purse.

I ran my hand along the material of the dress, thinking about all the old dresses I wore during all the years I had been alive. Some were made of smooth fabric that felt cool against my skin—like this one—others were coarse and uncomfortable. A lot of them were tucked away in boxes in a large wardrobe in one of my spare bedrooms, just waiting to be taken out again and admired.

I unlocked the bedroom door and opened it, only to get pushed back into the room by a black blur and pinned to the door. I opened my eyes, not realizing I had closed them in the first place, and saw Damon watching me with wide concerned eyes.

"What the hell?" I asked. Damon put a finger on my lips and shushed me.

"Why did you lock yourself in here," he asked. I rolled my eyes and pushed him off of me.

"I can't have some time to myself?" I asked.

"You needed two days?" he seemed to be getting rather annoyed.

"Yes…ok, it does seem like a lot, but I've been bombarded with drama ever since I came back."

"You could have asked for us to just leave you alone," Damon deadpanned.

"Would you have?" I asked.

"Probably not," he admitted.

"I don't mind," I walked up to him and lightly pinched his cheek. "Some people just can't seem to stay away. Are you ready?" I asked, noting that he was already in a suit, looking very snazzy.

"After you," Damon said, opening the door again. We slowly made our way down the stairs and outside to Damon's car. I took a deep breath and sighed; the air smelled like spring. Spring had always been my favorite season; it was always so full of life and joy. I smiled slightly to myself as Damon drove.

"Why are you so happy?" he asked.

"It's a beautiful day," I replied.

"You're making small talk," Damon stated.

"No, it really is a beautiful day. Obviously you've had a stick up your ass for such a long time that you don't appreciate it," I commented.

"I appreciate beauty when I see it," he scoffed and picked my hand up, holding it in his. "It happens to be sitting right next to me."

"A. That was very cheesy. B. Did you just call me "it"?" I asked, joking.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! More to come soon. Secrets, mysterious happenings, memories that may give some foresight to future chapters.**


	19. Soul Crushing

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

"Hello Alaric, how are you?" I asked as I approached me. Damon was off talking with Anna across the patio.

"I'm fine; do you know how Stefan's doing?" he asked.

"Why?" I was wondering why he would ask me.

"Yesterday at school he was just out of it, like something was wrong. I asked Elena, but I she said he was fine."

"Why didn't you ask Damon?" I asked. "They _are _brothers."

"Would I really get a straight answer from Damon?"

"Touché," I replied. "Stefan's just going through…a rough patch. He'll get though it eventually; he needs to accept it first."

"Oh," Alaric nodded. "I understand."

"I didn't think you liked us that much."

"It's kind of hard not to tolerate people who are fighting the same battles you are," he replied. I looked past him and saw Damon motioning me over to where he stood.

"Excuse me," I said, walking past Alaric.

"What was that about?" Damon asked I stopped next to him

"Alaric was worried about Stefan, relax. What do you want?"

"We have to tell Elena about Stefan and his…addiction," Damon told me as we stood outside on the patio at the Founder's Hall.

"Today?" I asked. "Like right now?"

"Do you think that it would be better if we waited until he massacred everything in town, or until the council has killed him?" I stayed silent. "Didn't think so."

"I just meant that she doesn't need any added stress today," I finally replied. "But I guess you're right."

"I'm always right," Damon stated.

" Alright, lead the way." Damon nodded and led me up a flight of stairs at the back of the Founder's Hall and into a dressing room where Elena was taking her dress off a mirror. She jumped when she saw us.

"You guys can't be back here," she informed us.

"We need to talk," Damon said.

"Does it have to be right now?" she asked. "I'm kind of busy."

"It's important," I added.

"What's wrong?"

"Normally," Damon began. "I would have a completely different outlook of what I'm about to tell you, but since it really inconveniences me, I'll squeal."

"What are you talking about?" Elena laughed.

"Stefan's still drinking human blood," Damon stated darkly.

"What?" Elena asked, completely shocked.

"Yeah," Damon replied. "A month ago I would've rejoiced, but with the council back on the alert, it is not a good time for Stefan to fly off the handle."

"I know he's been a little edgy but he said that was normal," Elena tried to reason with us.

"Normal is a very fluid concept right now," I said. "But he's far from normal."

"He has a fridge full of stolen blood bank contraband in the house," Damon stated. Elena took a shaky breath and sat down.

"Oh my God."

"He has no idea what normal is; his entire existence isn't normal." He continued. "Normal to a vampire is drinking human blood, but he spent all this time fighting it, when he should have been learning how to control it."

"And now it's controlling him," I told her.

"I can't believe it; this is _Stefan_ we're talking about here," she replied, as if she were trying to find a way to make it less true. Maybe someone would jump out of the dresser behind us and say "Surprise!"

"Stefan on human blood; he'll do anything, he'll say anything..."

"Because he doesn't want to stop," I finished for him.

"Trust us," Damon pleaded.

"This is all my fault," Elena said, standing up. "I'm the one who fed him the blood in the first place." She walked over to the window and turned back to us.

The door opened and Stefan walked in.

"What's going on in here?" he asked.

"Busted," I thought.

"We're just filling Elena in on your…extracurricular activities," Damon replied.

"What are you talking about?"

"I know about the blood, Stefan."

"Time to go," Damon told me. "We're gonna…"

"We'll be downstairs," I said.

"Drinking," he added, grabbing my hand and pulled me out the door and back downstairs, leaving Elena and Stefan to talk.

"That worked well," I said sarcastically.

"She needed to know," Damon replied, placing his hand on the small of my back and pushing me to the bar.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

Miranda and I stood with the rest of the crowd, watching the girls on the Founder's Court walk down the stairs and walk outside with their escorts.

"Do you see Stefan anywhere?" Miranda asked. I looked around and didn't see him.

"No; do you?"

"If I did, I wouldn't be asking." Miranda sighed.

"Miss Caroline Forbes, and her escort, Jeffrey Lockwood Hamilton," the mayor read off the card.

"Well, she's next." Miranda said as we clapped.

"Stefan better kick his ass in gear," I stated.

"He wouldn't run," Miranda replied. "He cares about her…loves her."

" Miss Elena Gilbert, escorted by Mr. Stefan Salvatore." Mayor Lockwood said, and everyone began clapping.

I looked around and then I felt Miranda's hand tug on my arm.

"Go," she said.

"What?" I asked as Elena began to descend the staircase.

"Go, take Stefan's place. I'll go and look for him," she elaborated. She kissed my cheek and smiled. "Don't embarrass Elena, don't shame me, and don't make a fool out of yourself."

Miranda pushed me to stand by the bottom of the stairs, and I looked over to her. She smiled and gave me a thumbs up before disappearing into the crowd of people.

Elena reached the bottom of the staircase and took my hand. "Where's Stefan?" she whispered.

"I don't know, Miranda's looking for him," I whispered back.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I walked as quickly as I could through the empty halls, ducking into various rooms to see if Stefan was there. I even went upstairs, and I noticed the door to one of the bathrooms was closed. I tried the doorknob and saw it was unlocked; I opened the door and saw the mirror had been smashed to pieces.

There were pieces of glass in the sink that were covered in blood, and small shards covering the floor. Stefan had to have done this; the blood didn't smell like human blood. I shut the door again, quickly and quietly before continuing my search.

Eventually, I headed back downstairs and outside in time to see that the dance was ending. All the participants bowed to each other and I saw Damon looking over at me. He raised his eyebrows in question and I shook my head.

"Will everyone please join us inside, because soon we will name this year's Miss Mystic Falls," Mayor Lockwood announced. Everyone began walking back inside. Elena walked inside with Caroline and Damon walked over to me.

"Anything?" he asked.

"Nothing…I have no idea where he is," I replied.

"He has to be around here somewhere; he couldn't have just left," Damon muttered.

"Excuse me," a man in a deputy's uniform walked up to us. "Mr. Salvatore; Sheriff Forbes would like to have a word with you.

Damon looked to me and I nodded; he walked off and I went inside to see the results of the pageant.

"Before I crown the winner," Mayor Lockwood began. "I would like to offer a personal thank you to all these young ladies for their efforts to better our community." Everyone in the room began clapping.

"So, without further ado, it is my honor to announce our very own Miss Mystic Falls…Miss Caroline Forbes!" I began clapping with the rest of the crowd.

Once the commotion died down, Elena walked over to me. I gave her a hug and a smile. "You did great," I told her with a smile.

"Any luck yet?" she asked.

"Nothing so far, but I'm not sure where Damon dashed off to. The sheriff wanted to speak with him."

"We're friends, right Miranda?" Elena asked, catching me off guard.

"Uh, yeah, why do you ask?" I asked her in return.

"You promised me that you would tell me what was going on between you and Damon."

"Is this the best time to talk about this?"

"Well, we really have nothing better to do except to wait," Elena reasoned.

"It's complicated," I said.

"Complicated like…I don't want to talk about it right now. Or complicated like complicated."

"You just totally confused me right there," I said with a laugh. "It's just complicated. I don't know if we're friends or we're just being polite to each other. Sometimes I want to throw him out of a moving car and sometimes I just…" I trailed off. "When we have more time, I'll tell you the entire story. This is the Rain Check on a Rain Check."

Damon ran over to us and pulled us down an empty hallway.

"So?" I asked.

"Did you find him?" Elena added.

"There were signs of a struggle in the upstairs bathroom, there was blood, and that Amber girl is missing," Damon explained.

"Oh my god. No, he wouldn't hurt her," Elena denied it.

"Let's just find him," Damon stated. "Come on."

Damon, Elena and I walked outside and into the forest; Stefan's car was still parked down the road with all the other cars, so he had to be in the area. A scream rang through the forest just ahead of us and we ran faster.

Stefan stood there, drinking blood from a screaming Amber.

"Stefan," Elena exclaimed, causing him to drop the girl and turn to face us.

"Stefan, come on, get control of it," Damon tried reasoning with him. Stefan's face was smeared with blood; it was coating his teeth, dripping thickly from his lips.

"Everything's going to be ok," I stated calmly. I nodded to Damon and he took a step closer to Stefan. I made sure Elena stayed back; Stefan could go crazy at any second and go for her.

"Come on," Damon said. "You'll get through it man." Stefan looked at him with dark eyes. He let out what sounded like a battle cry and threw Damon across the forest clearing. Damon got up and Stefan turned to face Elena, taking a step towards her.

"That's not happening," I stated and I quickly ran behind him, holding him back by his shoulders. He tried to throw me off. It must've looked weird—little me holding back tall Stefan. Eventually, he threw me away and I crashed next to Damon, landing on my butt.

I quickly got up and noticed Bonnie standing next to Elena, and then suddenly Stefan started screaming in agony. He was holding his head like it was going to explode; he bent over in pain.

When he stopped, his gaze darted between the four of us.

"It's ok," Damon muttered. "Stefan—" Before he could continue, Stefan turned and ran away.

"Miranda," Damon whispered to me, suddenly standing very close. "Go and get Sheriff Forbes; tell her I sent you." I nodded and dashed back to the Founder's Hall.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"She doesn't remember what happened," the sheriff said, walking over from talking to Amber. Miranda sat with Amber; she had since Liz and her deputies had gotten here, waking her up and keeping her calm. I had compelled her not to remember anything that happened with Stefan.

"It's a good thing the girl's got here when they did; she lost a lot of blood." I stated.

"You didn't see anything?" Liz asked Bonnie and Elena.

"No," Elena said. "We just found her and called Damon."

"Is she going to be ok?" Bonnie asked.

"It looks like it, yeah. Why don't you girls get back to the party?" Elena and Bonnie nodded and began walking back to the Founder's Hall.

"Did they see the bite mark?" Liz asked.

"No, I got here before they got too close. There was too much blood, so they couldn't see clearly," I explained.

"What about your girlfriend, Miranda?"

"Miranda knows about vampires. Her brother was killed by one when she was a kid," I lied. I remembered that Miranda said her brother was dead, so I just used it.

"Oh my God, that must've been a terrible experience," Liz said, looking over to where Miranda was talking to Amber. "I think we're all done here; you can go now. Thank you for your help."

"Any time, Liz. Don't worry about it." I reassured her.

Miranda and I drove back to the boarding house in silence, and we were about to go inside when I saw Anna standing outside the door.

"Alright, this is getting weird," I exclaimed.

"We're here to talk," she stated. Pearl walked outside and stood by the door.

"I'm not in the mood; today has been a no good, very bad day," I replied.

"Annabelle tells me you're looking for something I took from Jonathan Gilbert," Pearl spoke up. Damn; she knew how to get my attention.

"I'm listening," I said. Pearl handed me a little pouch and I weighed it in my hand.

"What is it?" Miranda asked. I took a little silver disk out of the pouch and looked at it.

"Jonathan was passionate about his inventions," Pearl explained. "He confided in me that he created a detection device that could track down the town's vampire element."

"It was a pocket watch," I replied.

"That's what it turned out to be, yes. But that's not what I stole. I discovered my mistake when I saw the watch in Jonathan's hand the night they took us; it's dial pointed at me."

"So what is this?" I asked.

"I have no idea, and now it's yours," Pearl replied.

"What's the catch?" Miranda asked.

"There is no catch; my daughter wants to stay here and so do I. You refused to trust us and with good reason. Consider this an apology," Pearl finished. I nodded and we walked inside.

"So what now?" Miranda asked, putting her hair down.

"Now we wait," I replied.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I helped Damon carry Stefan's unconscious body down to the basement, where we put him in the dungeon cell. He looked so weak and helpless as we placed him on the floor, leaning up against the wall. I walked out, my shoes clicking against the cold stone ground.

Elena was trying to hold back tears, but was losing the fight. Slowly they fell down her cheeks. She looked me in the eye and then just broke down, bit by bit, trying to keep herself intact. I walked over and gave her a comforting hug.

"Don't worry," I whispered. "He'll be fine. It'll be over real soon, and then you guys will be back on track." She nodded and I let her go.

"You're a good friend, Miranda," she said, trying to give me a smile. Damon walked out, closing the door behind him.

"There's no guarantee that this is going to work," Damon stated.

"It has to," she replied. Damon nodded and then sighed.

"Coming?" he asked. She shook her head.

"I'm going to stay here," she said, sliding down the wall and sitting on the floor. Damon looked at me and I slowly sat down next to her; she needed support, but I kind of wished I wasn't wearing a dress. What I wouldn't have given for a pair of jeans.

Damon was about to turn and leave when I snapped at him and pointed for him to sit down too. He nodded and sat across from us. Elena sighed and leaned her head against the wall.

Elena was in pain, for herself and for Stefan. She was lucky to have Damon and I there with her, and her family at home. I knew that crushing feeling; it ate at a person's soul.

Although I knew I shouldn't, for a second I was envious that Elena had so many people who cared about her.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews are always appreciated. Let me know what you thought of this chapter.**


	20. Jewel Thief's Apprentice

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty," a voice said, waking me up. I sighed and kept my eyes closed; why did it have to be extra sunny on the day that I wanted to sleep a little more.

"Sorry, you're wasting time..." the voice said again. Suddenly, the cocoon of blankets I had settled in had been ripped away from me, and my eyes shot open. Damon stood there with his arms crossed and an arrogant smirk on his lips.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"About six-thirty."

"Then why'd you wake me up?" I mumbled.

"I thought it would be fun," he replied. I took a pillow and threw it at him before sitting up.

"Get out," I said, hauling myself from the bed and pointing to the door.

"I think I'd rather stay," Damon smirked.

"Get out!" I exclaimed, pushing him out the door and locking it so he wouldn't come back. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair; he was unbelievably stubborn sometimes.

I walked downstairs after I had showered and dressed; I found Damon in the library, looking at the object Pearl had given him.

"How's he doing?" I asked, assuming he and Elena had already gone to check up on Stefan.

"He's catatonic; he barely even blinks. It's…disturbing," Damon replied. I watched him for a minute before speaking again.

"You're worried about him," I stated. Elena walked in and began putting her clothes in her bag.

"Did you ever figure out what that is?" she asked Damon.

"Nope," Damon sighed. "Whatever it is, it doesn't work."

"Maybe it's broken," I offered.

"Then I should throw it in the trash," he replied, looking at me and smirking.

"Pearl didn't say anything else about it?" Elena asked.

"She thought she was stealing his vampire compass, but it was a pocket watch." Damon explained.

"How did he get all those ideas in his head for all this stuff. Vampire compass, seemingly useless piece of metal?" I wondered.

"That Jonathan Gilbert was a crazy scientist. Have you spoken to your uncle lately?" he asked Elena.

"I've been avoiding him, actually. That, and I've been here most nights."

"So you'll be here again tonight?"

"Is that a problem?" Elena asked, closing her bag.

"Yes; you're a complete nuisance," Damon replied.

"See you guys later," Elena said, leaving.

"Bye Elena," I waved goodbye. Once the door shut, I felt Damon's arms wrap around my waist, pulling me to him.

"Finally, we're alone," Damon whispered into my hair. "Now it's grown-up time." He turned me around in his arms and leaned in to kiss me, but I placed a finger on his lips to stop him.

"Sorry, to burst your bubble, but I have to stop you." I laughed, backing out of his grasp. His face fell in confusion. "I have to go home for blood."

"We have plenty of blood right here," he replied. "Remember Stefan's little field trip to the hospital?"

"I would have a guilty conscience," I stated, backing up to go and get my things from my room. "I'll be back later."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I walked down to the basement, holding a bottle full of blood in my hand. I walked over to the dungeon door and looked at Stefan through the bars.

"Brought you something to eat...100% Stefan diet approved." I got no answer from him. "You know what will happen if you don't eat. You'll get all rotting and crusty."

"I'm not hungry," Stefan replied, his voice scratchy.

"Of course you are. We're eternally hungry. Take it." I placed the bottle on the ledge of the door. "The human blood should be gone by now. You want to explain why you're still in here. Feeling sorry for yourself? Come on. Drink up." I pushed the bottle inside, letting it fall to the ground. "Fine. Starve. What do I care?"

I walked back upstairs, slightly bothered by the fact that Stefan wasn't doing anything. Why didn't he fight this dark cloud that hung over his head? My phone rang as I walked into the living room.

"Hello?" I answered,

"Hey, it's Alaric Saltzman." I rolled my eyes.

"Before I hang up, how did you get this number?" I asked.

" Ah, it's a mystery," he replied. Of course. "Listen, I've, uh, been doing some digging on Elena's uncle. You interested?"

"What kind of digging?" I asked.

"I've got an old friend from Duke who studied criminology when we were there together. Let's just say he's become a very proficient digger." Alaric stated.

"Well, did he find anything?" He probably just called me for nothing.

"Well, I had him run a track on John's cell records. He was getting a call from a number—the same number that Elena dialed to get Isobel—and then the number was disconnected."

"Isobel knows John; whatever," I scoffed. "We knew that."

"Right." Alaric replied. "Well, after that, he started getting calls from a new number. I had my friend run a geotrack; got the address. It's…an apartment in Grove Hill."

"Isobel's in Grove Hill?" I asked incredulously.

"I don't know. I thought we could take a look and see what we find."

"Perfect. Give me the address."

"Oh, so you and Miranda can go without me? No. I don't think so."

"We're not going with you. You tried to kill me," I scoffed.

"Yeah, well, you did kill me." Touché. There was a double beep on my phone, signaling I had another call.

"Hold on," I told Alaric, then I pressed the button to put him on hold. "What?" I answered.

"I'm just grabbing some clothes, and then I'll be right over. How's Stefan?" Elena asked.

"Extra broody," I replied. The phone beeped again and I rolled my eyes. "Hold on." I pressed the button again and brought the phone to my ear.

"What the hell?" I answered.

"What's wrong with you?" Miranda asked.

"Long story; what do you want?"

"I'm driving back to the boarding house right now, maybe 5 minutes away. I brought food so Elena doesn't starve. Does the fridge in your kitchen work?" she asked.

"Yes it does, hold on." I pressed the button to go back to talking with Alaric.

"You drive," I told him. "Pick us up in an hour."

"Done." Alaric replied, hanging up. I went back to my conversation with Elena.

"He won't eat anything," I informed her, sitting down.

"He has to eat, what's his favorite...kind of…uh," she trailed off.

"His favorite kind of what?" I asked.

"Type of animal blood that he prefers?"

"Ew. Gross." I replied.

"Your joking doesn't help," she scolded.

"It helps me. Now hurry up; I can't baby-sit all night. I have things to do." I stated.

"I would say "drop dead," but…"

"Ha-ha," I deadpanned. "Stefan likes... puppy blood... little golden retriever puppies with cute, floppy ears. That's his favorite." I smirked when she hung up on me. I pressed the button again to talk to Miranda.

"Hello again," I answered. "How do you feel like going on a field trip?"

"What kind of field trip?" she asked.

"Me, you, Alaric," I replied. "Hop, skip and a jump over to Grove Hill to see if Isobel is there."

"Recon? Sounds like fun," she replied. I could hear the smile in her voice. "I'll see you soon." She hung up and I almost threw my phone across the room to prevent anyone from calling. God, that was tiring.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

We sat in the living room with Elena; she arrived at the boarding house at the same time I did and immediately she went down to check on Stefan. She had come back upstairs, on the verge of tears, telling us he wanted to die.

"He's just being dramatic," Damon reassured her "He's not gonna starve himself."

"Why would he say that?" she asked.

"He feels bad about hurting that Amber girl," I replied.

"It's a very typical Stefan martyr stuff. It will pass."

"Will it?" Elena asked skeptically. "Because he seemed to be in a lot of pain."

"Yeah, well that will pass too, once he eats." Damon said.

"I don't think that's what she meant," I told him.

"I know what she meant," he replied. "Look, Elena, are you going to be ok here if we run out? We have an errand to attend to with the teacher."

"The teacher?" she asked. "Alaric? I didn't think you three were friends."

"It's more like we have a mutual goal that we're working towards," I replied.

"Mutual enemy is a little closer to the truth," Damon muttered.

"Right," Elena nodded.

"You should, um, you should stay up here." Damon suggested. "You shouldn't be down there by yourself."

"I'll be fine," Elena stated.

"That's what they all say in horror movies," I replied.

"You know... You're very trusting of him, given the circumstances," Damon said.

"So are you, otherwise you wouldn't be leaving."

"We're just hoping that you don't do anything stupid," I stated getting off the couch. "No offense."

"Besides, it won't be long." Damon added. We walked outside and waited until we saw Alaric drive up the driveway and stop in front of us.

"Shotgun," Damon called out, getting into the passenger seat. I rolled my eyes and got into the backseat.

"You're such a child," I replied, closing the door.

"Are you two going to be acting like this the whole drive?" Alaric asked, clearly amused.

We finally arrived in Grove Hill; Alaric parked about a block away from the apartment where Isobel was supposedly at. The street was dimly lit, which was fortunate for us, seeing as we might have to break in.

"This is the one here. The records show is was paid 3 months in advance." Alaric stated as we walked up the sidewalk to a house.

"This is where it gets tricky. We may or may not be able to get in." Damon said, motioning towards he and I. He knocked on the door to see if there was anyone home.

"Yeah, how does that work? You always have to be invited in?" Alaric asked.

"It depends," I replied.

"By the owner or the person of entitlement. Short-term rentals and hotels are a bit of a gray area. You kind of got to play it by ear." Damon walked over to the door and tried the knob.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"What does it look like?" he asked in return. I pushed him out of the way and pulled two bobby pins from my hair that were holding my bangs back.

"You are not breaking this door down," I replied. I quickly worked on picking the lock.

"You know how to pick a lock?" Alaric asked.

"I may or may not have known a few jewel thieves back in the day," I admitted.

"Never expected you to be a criminal, Miranda," Damon smirked.

"I'm full of surprises," I replied, trying to focus.

"Hey, guys, could we not kill anyone tonight, please?" Alaric looked like he was serious.

"You just brought us along for our company?" Damon asked. I stood up and tried the knob, smiling victoriously when it opened with ease.

Alaric walked in, followed by Damon, who stepped over the threshold with ease and pulled me inside behind him. "It doesn't look like anyone's home," Alaric said in a hushed voice.

"Yeah, we're good," Damon whispered. "No permanent resident apparently." We walked further into the house. Damon walked over to a mini-fridge and opened it, revealing a stack of hospital blood bags.

"Uh, Ric? We have company," Damon announced. Almost instantly, a vampire ran at Alaric, knocking him back into the wall. Alaric punched him in the gut and I saw his hand was covered in blood. He wore some metal spiked brass knuckles. Damon got in between them.

"Boys, boys, that's enough," he said before turning to the vampire. "I know you."

"Damon?" he asked.

"You're name is Henry, you were in the tomb," Damon stated.

"Yes sir," he nodded. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh, John Gilbert sent us," Damon lied.

"How do you know John Gilbert?" Henry asked.

"Well, I've known him for years. He's a good friend. How do _you _know him?" Damon asked.

"I met him right after I got out of the tomb. He's been helping out."

"John Gilbert is helping you out?" I asked, stunned.

"Helping you out how?" Alaric asked.

"Adapting; it's a whole new world," Henry stated. "Cars, computers, …there's so much to learn. He even helped me get this place."

"So do you live here alone?" Alaric kept at it. "Or is there someone else here?" Henry looked over at Damon with a look on his face.

"That's my friend's very...passive-aggressive way of asking, uh, do you know a woman named Isobel?" Damon asked.

"Uh, no," Henry replied. "I don't know any Isobel; I know John. He's my only real friend. He showed me the ropes: how to use a microwave, separate my whites."

"In case you want to heat up a burrito and don't have a black shirt for when you eat it, right?" I asked jokingly.

"Yeah, that's what John had said," Henry smiled. Great, I had the same sense of humor as that sick bastard John Gilbert.

"What else do you do for him?" Alaric asked.

"I help him keep an eye on things…you know, with the others."

"The others?" Damon asked,

"From the tomb; they're still pissed at the founding families trying to burn them alive. I'm cool, but those tomb boys want revenge."

"What does John want with them?" I asked.

"He's keeping an eye on them, you know?" Henry elaborated. "Trying to make sure they stay out of trouble."

"Well, that's John," Damon said. "He's such a do-gooder." A phone rang and Henry pulled a cell phone out of his pocket.

"That's John now," he said. Damon jumped up.

"Oh, hey. Let me talk to him, alright?" he asked. Henry handed him the phone and we all stood around listening to it ring.

"Are you going to answer that?" Henry asked, the smile fading from his face.

"Am I going to…answer that?" Damon repeated. He looked over to Alaric, who shook his head. Henry looked around at us and then turned to Damon.

"What's going on?" he demanded. Suddenly, he vamped out and turned to go for Alaric, but Damon held him back as Alaric staked him. Henry fell to the ground, dead.

""Let's not kill anyone tonight."" He patted Alaric on the back. "Your words. Just pointing that out." He walked away and started to look through various things for clues as to where Isobel was.

"Come on, don't just stand there," he called to us. I just shrugged and walked into another room and began searching. My phone began ringing and I picked it up.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey Miranda, it's Elena." Elena spoke on the other end.

"Oh, hey. How are things at the boarding house? Are you alright?" I asked.

"I think Stefan's going to be ok," she replied.

"Really? You went and talked to him, didn't you?" I stood up straight, waiting for her answer.

"Well, yeah. But I think it was good for him." She replied.

"Well that's good," I said. "We'll probably be heading home soon. Just to let you know. No crazy parties," I laughed.

"No, don't worry," she replied. "See you later." She hung up and I put my phone back in my pocket.

Later that night, Alaric dropped Damon and I back at the boarding house when we drove back from Grove Hill. I walked upstairs to my room when we walked inside; I was tired.

I wanted to go home, to _my_ house. Sleep in _my_ bed with _my_ sheets. Have the choice to wear _whatever _I wanted, not just what was packed in my bag. I laughed and closed the blinds, leaving the lamps on to illuminate the room. Why didn't I just go home?

I flopped on the bed, laying on my back, and thought about it for a while; I picked up the silver skeleton key from around my neck and stared at it.

There was a knock at my door. "Come in," I stated quietly, letting go of my necklace and letting it fall onto my skin. Damon peaked into the room.

"Are you decent?" he asked walking in.

"That didn't stop you from waltzing in here," I replied. "What if I was getting changed?"

"That would have made my night better," he put a half-empty glass of blood on the bedside table and laid down on the bed next to me. "Another long day."

"Every day is a long day," I laughed. "We live in Mystic Falls."

"So true," he whispered, closing his eyes in thought. "So very true."

I had a sudden realization; all this taunting and teasing and messing around. Every conversation, every joke, every time I thought he was someone different than the person I left behind. There was no way that I could be back to square one again, not after all this time and effort. Not after every tear I shed because of him, whether it was his fault or not. I couldn't be—didn't want to be—in love with Damon Salvatore again, but I was.

SON OF A BITCH!

**A/N: There you have it! Let me know what you think. I would have written more, but I have Algebra homework **_**and**_** a research paper to start. Hopefully—and I do stress hopefully—I will have the next chapter up by Friday night at the latest.**


	21. My Denial Smile

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

Ah, home sweet home; there's no place like it! Ok, I know that's a little cliché, but it does accurately describe the way I felt when I went home a couple days after Stefan became completely lucid again. I had to get out of that house; I think I might have gotten cabin fever from staying there for so long.

It might have been a big house, but I was more comfortable in mine. Plenty of windows, light paint on the walls, open and airy…my house was better suited for my tastes.

My house phone rang, which totally threw me off as I piped chocolate onto miniature napoleon pastries in my kitchen, because no one ever called on the house phone. I don't think I ever heard it ring before.

I picked it up and closed my nose to make my voice sound nasally. "Thank you for your call." I let go of my nose. "Can I help you?" I asked.

"Miranda?" Alaric's voice came through over the receiver. "You need to come over to the high school. It's important."

"Uh, ok." I asked. "How did you get my home number?"

"I have my ways," he replied cryptically.

"Stalker creep," I exclaimed, and hung up the phone. I quickly cleaned up everything in the kitchen and left for the school. I got there quickly, and I was surprised to see that the school was bustling, even though the day was over. The parking lot was completely full, and I was glad that I just ran there.

I got to Alaric's classroom and saw he was there with Elena and Stefan. They all had pensive looks on their faces. "What's up?" I asked.

"Isobel's in town," Stefan said.

"And we're just waiting for Damon, have a seat," Alaric said. I walked over to one of the desks and sat down. I hated desks; I'm too average to be considered short, too short to be considered tall, and too tall to sit in one of these desks.

We waited for 15 minutes in complete silence before Damon sauntered into the classroom.

"Damon," Alaric said. "Thanks for coming."

"Sorry I'm late, my dog at my…" I gave him a weird look. "…never mind. What's with all the furrowed brows?"

"I saw Isobel last night," Alaric replied.

"Isobel is here?" Damon asked, incredulously. "In town?"

"She came and talked to me at the Grill last night," Alaric explained. Damon sighed and walked over to look out the classroom window.

"Did you ask her about Uncle John? Are they working together?" Damon asked.

"No," Alaric replied.

"No, they're not?"

"No, I didn't ask."

"What about the invention?" Damon continued grilling Alaric.

"Didn't ask."

"Did she know about the tomb vampires?"

"I don't know."

"Did words completely escape you?" Damon asked, getting in Alaric's space.

"You know," Alaric spat out. "I was a little too distracted by my dead vampire wife to ask any questions."

"What did she want?" I asked.

Elena sighed and shook her head. "She wants to see me."

"Alaric is supposed to arrange a meeting," Stefan continued. "We don't know why or what she wants."

"You don't have to see her if you don't want to," Damon stated.

"I don't really have a choice," Elena replied.

"She's threatening to go on a killing spree," Alaric sighed.

"Oh, I take it that's not ok with you guys," Damon replied sarcastically.

"She's either a psycho or she's a bratty bitch who always gets what she wants," I said.

"I want to do it. I want to meet her. If I don't, I know I'll regret it," Elena decided.

"For some reason," I replied, shaking my head. "I don't think it's going to turn out well."

"Don't you hate that feeling?" Damon asked.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

About an hour later, Miranda, Alaric and I were sitting in the park outside of the Grill; Stefan was inside watching Elena. Miranda was lying across a bench while I paced back and forth, watching the Grill as if people were going to be running out screaming in any second. Alaric stood there, watching everyone that passed by.

"We should be in there," I huffed.

"No," Alaric replied. "Isobel made it clear we're not to step foot inside."

"I'm not going to kill her in a crowded restaurant," I scoffed.

"You're not going to kill her, period!" Alaric exclaimed. Miranda looked up and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Someone's grouchy today," she stated, then turned to me. "I think you hit a nerve."

"I think I did; she ruined your life. Yet, you still want to protect her?" I asked.

"She is my wife," Alaric replied.

"Was your wife," Miranda corrected him.

"Was my wife," he sighed. "I looked for the woman I married but she wasn't there; whoever that is…is cold and detached. "

"Yeah," I smirked. "She's given up her humanity."

"You see, I don't get that." Alaric said. "Stefan has his humanity, he's a good guy. Miranda…maybe she's sarcastic but she's caring and compassionate—all human traits. Hell, you're a dick and you kill people, but I still see something human in you." Alaric sighed. "But with her…there was nothing."

"You can turn it off," I replied. "Like a button you can press. I mean, Stefan's different. He wants the whole human experience. He wants to feel every episode of How I Met Your Mother, so he shuts his feelings out. The problem is, as a vampire, your instinct is not to feel. Isobel chose the easier road — no guilt, no shame, no regret. I mean, come on, if you could turn it off, wouldn't you?"

"Miranda hasn't," he jerked his thumb over to her.

"You don't know me," Miranda stated. "I've done some really bad things."

"She's moody about feelings," I whispered.

"You haven't," he said to me.

"Of course I have Ric. It's why it's so fun to be around," I replied. What the hell did he mean? I could kill anyone and I wouldn't have a second thought about it; hell, I could rip his ring off and kill him; I wouldn't care. He's lucky that I haven't…yet.

Miranda sighed and got off of the bench. "This is a waste of time," she muttered. She began to walk out of the park and I followed her.

"Where do you think you're going?" I asked.

"I'm going home to get my car, then I'm going to go snooping for some information," she smiled. "Isobel has to be staying in town somewhere."

"Care for some company?" I asked.

"Sure, why the hell not," she shrugged. "Will you be useful?"

"I can help you find where she's staying; I taught her everything I know…well, mostly everything," I replied.

"Which means she knows absolutely nothing," Miranda laughed.

"Ouch, you're mean today."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I pulled up to an expensive looking house with a For Sale sign stuck into the sprawling yard; a red FORCLUSURE label was slapped across it. "Cute," I stated, pulling my keys out of the ignition. "If you like gaudy places that stick out like a sore thumb. Not very subtle."

"This is the one," Damon said. "Let's go." We got out of the car and walked to the door, which was unlocked. I stepped over the threshold with ease and looked around. Staircase, hallway, living room with a young woman sitting on the couch wearing cheap lingerie and bite marks marring her skin.

"Hel-lo," Damon exclaimed slowly when he saw her. "I call downstairs," he stated; I rolled my eyes.

"You're not supposed to be here," the woman said.

"Fine, keep her busy; I'm going to go look around." I said, causing Damon to smirk. He started to walk into the living room, but I pulled him back. "No funny business; behave." I let his arm go and began to walk around the house, looking for anything suspicious.

I felt like Nancy Drew, snooping around where I didn't belong. I opened the door to a bedroom, one that was obviously Isobel's, and began looking around. I found empty suitcases, dresser drawers full of clothes, and the floor of the closet filled with shoes. I walked over to the nightstand and a dried bloody handprint caught my eye; I opened one of the drawers and found it holding about 5 disposable cell phones.

"Bingo," I whispered. I opened one and saw it had one number on its call list that repeated over and over again. I pulled my phone out and snapped a picture of the number. I put the phone back in its place and tried another one.

"You're not supposed to be in here," a deep voice caused me to turn and find a tall, muscular guy in his underwear, and a cowboy hat, watching me.

"Howdy pardner," I said with a fake southern drawl. I walked over to him and stared into his eyes. "What's your name?" I asked, compelling him.

"Frank," he replied simply.

"Are you and the woman downstairs the only ones here with Isobel?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Good," I smiled. "Maybe you could help me, Frank? What does Isobel want with Johnathan Gilbert's device?" Frank stayed silent and tilted his head to the left like a lost puppy.

"Ok, does Isobel _know_ anyone named John?" Again, I got nothing. "Maybe you could just help me open these phones so I can see the recent call lists?" Frank nodded and he opened all the phones for me as I check the lists and took pictures of the numbers with my phone.

I got up when I was done and walked back downstairs, only to find that Damon was talking to a woman who I assumed was Isobel. His shirt was unbuttoned and his hair was disheveled.

"Don't kill the messenger. We both know that you can't control Katherine; she does what she wants," Isobel stated.

"Psh, so do I." Damon scoffed. He looked over Isobel's shoulder and saw me walk into the room. Isobel turned around and saw me; she smirked.

"Who's this Damon?" she asked, an amused tone in her voice. "She's just adorable; new plaything?"

"Ha-ha," I laughed. "You're really funny," I said sarcastically.

"I'd watch what you say around Miranda; she's a loose cannon," Damon stated.

Isobel laughed. She walked over and looked at me. "Does that make her blood spicy? It would be a shame if it stained the rug when I rip her throat open." She stepped close enough that I slapped her, effectively causing her head to snap sideways.

"I don't like it when people invade my personal space," I stated and walked towards the windows; I turned back to look at her with a smirk.

"Oh, you'll be paying for that," Isobel laughed, turning her head forward. Suddenly she was on the ground, and Damon held her there by her neck. He lifted her head up and slammed it back into the floor.

"Listen up," he began in a threatening voice. "You do not come into my town and threaten the people I care about. Going after Elena? Bad move. You leave her alone or I will rip you to bits because I do believe in killing the messenger. You know why? Because it sends a message." He slammed her head again. "Katherine wants something from me? You tell that little bitch to come get it herself."

He got up and walked to the door, motioning for me to follow him; we got into the car and drove away in silence. I drove him to the boarding house, and we sat in the car for five minutes before we said anything.

"So…" I began.

"You got her good," Damon said, smirking.

"Smack-a-bitch," I replied with a smile. "It's my specialty."

"I'll see you tomorrow," he stated softly.

"Yeah, sure," I nodded, twisting my day ring around my finger. Can anybody say awkward?

Damon leaned over and kissed my cheek before getting out of the car. "Goodnight," he said before closing the door and going inside.

I drove home with a small smile on my lips. I didn't even notice until I stepped inside I looked in the hall mirror on my way to the basement. "Crap," I scolded myself.

I spent the rest of the night on my baking project, making sure none of the blood I was drinking got near my prep area. I had gone to bed and slept like I was dead…you know what I mean.

The next morning—or afternoon, since I slept kind of late—I was abruptly awoken by my stereo blasting a trance song at an ear splitting volume; I immediately opened my eyes and sat up, looking around. The music stopped and I watched as Frank the Cowboy walked into my bedroom, followed by Isobel. She held my universal remote in her hand.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," I sighed.

"Good morning Miranda," she greeted with false sweetness.

"Ugh, I hate you," I muttered.

"That's not nice," Isobel scolded with a smirk. "Neither is going through my phones."

"Aw Frank," I said, looking at him. "You ratted me out, didn't you."

"I don't like it when people look through my things, Miranda." She replied instead of Frank. "Nor do I appreciate you slapping me."

"I could have killed you," I said, nonchalantly. "I still can if you don't get out of my house."

"Oh, I know you could have," Isobel replied. "All the stories I've heard about you; I just didn't realize that the Miranda in them was you…until you and Damon left last night."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. Isobel motioned to Frank, who pulled a gun out of his waistband and shot me in the stomach.

The force caused me to fall back onto the bed; oh God, the pain was excruciating. It took me a minute to heal up; blood coated the inside of my mouth.

"Did you learn that little trick from John Gilbert?" I asked; I tried to sit back up, but it took some effort. "_Vervain coated_ wooden bullets this time; stepping up his game, isn't he?"

"Damon is going to give us the device, and if he doesn't I'm going to come back and finish the job. I'm going to get my message across one way or the other. I have my one way…this would be the other," Isobel said smugly.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

Isobel nodded Frank, who shot me again. Twice in the stomach, three times in the chest. She dropped the remote carelessly onto the floor and approached the bedside table. She threw my phone at me after quickly pressing a few buttons, and then she and Cowboy Frank left the room quickly.

Once I heard that they left I let out the breath of air I had been holding; I sobbed with difficulty since the bullets pierced my lungs. I just wanted this pain to go away.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I rang the doorbell to Miranda's house; she was always complaining that I just walked in and never used the bell. I waited a few seconds before trying the doorknob and walked inside. "Miranda? Are you home?" I asked, knowing she could hear me if she was here. I walked upstairs and to her bedroom.

I pushed open the door and saw Miranda propped lifelessly against the pillows—like a ragdoll—in a pool of blood. Her eyes shot open and she looked at me, her mouth open to say something but cried out in pain. Her face was wet with tears and her eyes began to darken, veins protruding from her skin.

"What happened?" I asked, slowly approaching her. She held a bloody hand out towards me and I stopped abruptly. I saw the bleeding gunshot wounds and growled angrily; that bastard John was going to get it.

"Isobel," Miranda choked out weakly.

"Isobel?" I spit her name out angrily. She was as good as dead if I saw her again. Miranda nodded before started coughing and I walked closer; she turned her head and spit three things onto the floor in rapid succession. I picked up one of the bloody objects and found it was a wooden bullet.

"Blood," she groaned, rolling over to one side and trying to reach her nightstand. I opened the drawer and found a couple blood bags sitting inside. I handed one to her and she tore into it like a savage beast. I watched as her skin began to heal quickly.

She tossed the empty blood bag away from her and reached over to get another one with newfound strength. I hesitantly lifted her out of the bed and carried her into her bathroom; Miranda placed her head against my shoulder, tossing the second blood bag onto the floor when she was done. I placed her on the shining porcelain sink counter and put one of my hands on her cheek, watching her face return to normal.

"Are you ok?" I asked, trying to hide my rage. She coughed again and spit two more bullets into the sink before nodding tiredly.

"Bad wake up call," she whispered. "Gonna kill her."

"Why was she here?"

"She said she wanted to get a message across. She wants you to give her the device."

"Not a chance," I replied. I looked into Miranda's green eyes, which were wide and looking into mine as if she were searching for something. Those eyes…

I began to lean closer to her, my gaze moving down to her lips. She took a deep breath, then put her hand on my cheek and smiled.

"Alright big boy," her voice loud and full of life, as it usually was. "Get out; I need to shower and change. Make yourself useful and get rid of those bloody sheets, ok?" I took a step back and realized how close we were; I nodded and walked to the door, taking a glance back at her before closing it behind me.

I had cleaned up the room while Miranda was in the shower, my mind on something other than the task at hand.

Who was Miranda to me; why was I always so drawn to her like a magnet? I couldn't help it; every time I was in the same room with her, I wanted to be next to her, touching her, kissing her. I was in love with her when I was human. Even when she broke my heart and I fell for Katherine, Miranda had a grasp on part of my heart like an iron vice. What about now; what did I feel for her now?

The bathroom opened and I turned around; I saw a blur run from the bathroom to the walk-in closet, and then the door to the closed shut. "I didn't want to take a chance, you creep," Miranda called through the door. "Don't think I didn't see you looking." I smirked and walked over to the closet.

"Hurry up slow poke," I said. "You're not staying here."

"She won't come back," I heard hangers shuffling and zippers zipping. "If she does, I'll be prepared. No big deal."

"It was a big deal when you were crying," I replied.

"Excruciating pain and fear are two different things. She's a fluffy raincloud and I'm a tempest; I can crush her if I want to." Miranda stated.

"Then what do you call earlier?" I asked, leaning against the wall.

"I was sleeping and she caught me off guard."

"If she can catch you off guard once, she can do it again." I waited for her answer in silence. The closet door opened and Miranda stood staring at me.

"I'm not staying at the boarding house for a million days again. I'm coming back home tonight," Miranda huffed in defeat.

"I wouldn't ask for anything more," I smirked. "Ready?"

"Let me just get my purse," she smiled. She walked into the bedroom and I watched her, my gaze moving down her form.

"Stop staring," she scolded. I pushed myself off the wall and smirked.

"Can I help it? You look hot in those jeans."

"What am I going to do with him?" she muttered.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I looked through my phone; Isobel had deleted the pictures I had taken of those phone numbers. I huffed and tossed my phone down onto the couch. I walked closer to the fire and shook my head.

"What's got you pissed?" Damon asked, walking into the library.

"Nothing." Everything. My sleuthing skills went to waste, I got shot _six_ times, and I was in love with the world's biggest jackass. "Why?"

"No reason," he replied. "Stefan called; he and the rest of the posse are on the way home."

"The posse?" I asked. Damon shrugged.

"You know, the posse. Stefan, Elena, the witch. You might have been a member of the posse if I didn't enjoy your company so much."

"It's nice to know I'm cared about," I said sarcastically. The front door opened and closed loudly, and three pairs of footsteps walked into the library.

"You need to give the device to Isobel," Stefan said.

"What?" I asked, turning around to face them.

"Oh my God, Miranda, you're ok," Elena said once she saw me. She walked over and gave me a hug. "Isobel said she paid you a visit; I thought you were hurt."

"She was," Damon replied.

"You were?" Stefan and Elena asked simultaneously.

"I was, but everything's fine now." I replied with a small smile. "What were you talking about now?"

"Damon needs to give Isobel the device," Elena began walking over to Stefan and Bonnie. "She has Jeremy."

"And," Damon asked, unaffected by her words.

"Absolutely not," Damon scoffed.

"Just hear me out," Elena pleaded.

"I'm not gonna give the device to Isobel so she could give it to John who is going to turn it to kill us. I like being a living dead person." Damon replied.

"But it would be useless; Bonnie can take its power away."

"I don't trust her," Damon said.

"I can remove the original spell," Bonnie added.

"What if it doesn't work?" I asked.

"It will," Stefan replied reassuringly. I don't mean to be cruel—especially since her grandmother died—but they couldn't even reseal the tomb. I wasn't convinced.

"John and Isobel will never know," Elena said.

"No, I'll get Jeremy my own way," Damon stated.

"Really?" Stefan asked. "How are you going to do that? Because Isobel is a vampire and Jeremy could be dead the second you walk in the door." Damon rolled his eyes and looked over at Bonnie.

"Are you even up to this?" He asked. "I mean no offense, you're not Emily Bennet. Emily knew what she was doing."

"I've been practicing," Bonnie replied.

"It's not piano lessons, honey," Damon said.

"What's your favorite book?" Bonnie asked menacingly.

"What?" Damon asked.

"Name a book…any book."

"Name a book… how about "Call of the Wild." Jack London." Damon replied. Bonnie turned and looked at the bookshelves. Suddenly, a book flew from the shelves towards Damon, who caught it.

"Jack London," he stated, amused. "Great parlor trick."

"We're doing this Damon," Elena said. "My way. Now give me the device, we're wasting time."

"I don't trust you," Damon said to Bonnie. "I tried to kill you."

"Right, you can't trust me," Bonnie replied.

"But you can trust me," Elena said. "What about Miranda? You don't want her to get hurt again, do you?"

Damon looked over at me, his eyes locking with mine. He looked back at Elena and handed her the device from his pocket.

"Thank you," Elena said. She turned and handed it to Bonnie. Bonnie got to work lighting candles and opening Emily's grimoire.

Damon hummed some psychedelic witchy music and I elbowed him. He and I stood on one side of the room and Elena stood on the other with Stefan. Bonnie opened the device and pulled out a piece of it, placing it on the table.

She raised her hands in a magic-y way, and closed her eyes. The piece began to levitate and the lights in the room shut off. The candles and the fireplace raged, and then suddenly everything was back to normal.

"Done," Bonnie said. My eyes widened in surprise. I had seen witches do magic before—spells, curses, you name it. That seemed too…showy and fake for magic, like watching Blue Man Group meets Penn & Teller. Something was…off.

"Great," Damon deadpanned. "Now what?"

"Now we give it to Isobel," Elena replied as Bonnie handed the device to her.

We all went to the park to meet Isobel in Elena's car—stopping to drop Bonnie off at her house—Damon sat with me in the back. I stared out the window and watched the scenery go by quickly, and I felt Damon's gaze on me. I turned to face him and he smirked and turned to look out his window.

Elena got out of the car and started walking; Stefan, Damon and I stayed back, in the shadows in case of anything.

"Do you really think that I came alone?" Isobel's voice rang out through the night.

"Do you think that I came alone?" Elena asked in return. The three of us quickly walked towards them. I saw Lingerie Girl and Cowboy Frank standing behind Elena. Isobel turned around and looked at us, smiling smugly.

"For God's sake, call home," Isobel said.

"What?" Elena asked.

"Call home and ask to speak with your brother Jeremy," Isobel replied. Elena took out her phone and called her house to see how Jeremy was. I felt someone grab my hand and squeeze it; I looked down and saw Damon was holding it him his. I looked up to his face and saw him give me a small smile before letting go of my hand. After a few minutes, Elena turned back to face us.

"You were never gonna hurt him," she stated.

"No," Isobel replied. "I was going to kill him. Don't look for any redeeming qualities in me. I don't have any."

"But you took a risk with Damon; how did you know that he was gonna give it to me?" Elena asked.

"Because of his little girlfriend there," she replied, you could tell the smirk in her voice. "The loose cannon." Elena looked over at me and I looked back at Damon, who avoided my eye contact.

"Thank you," Elena said after a few seconds, handing the device to Isobel.

"For what?" Isobel asked.

"For being such a monumental disappointment," Elena replied. "It keeps the memory of my real mother perfectly intact."

"Goodbye Elena. As long as you have a Salvatore on each arm, you're doomed. And as for Miranda…she's the Destroyer of Worlds." I looked to the ground in shame, recognizing the name instantly. "Katherine was smart; she got out. But we all know that you're not Katherine." Isobel walked away and Stefan went to give Elena a hug.

I turned and walked away from Damon, the heels of my boots clicking against the sidewalk loudly. I stood straight and faced forward as I walked, remembering the old superstition that if you walk with your head down, you were walking with the devil.

"Going somewhere?" Damon's voice pulled me from my thoughts.

"Home," I replied simply.

"Really?" he asked, grabbing my arm to stop me.

"Yes; I'm not scared of going home. Home is the last place a person should be scared of. Besides, I have the Marple DVD set and I really want to watch At Bertram's Hotel." I shrugged.

"You're such a nerd," Damon laughed.

"I'm a sucker for murder mysteries," I replied with a smile. "I'll see you at the Founder's Day parade on Saturday?" I asked.

"I thought you didn't want to be dragged to another town function?"

"A lady can change her mind whenever she wishes. I'll see you." I smiled and kept on walking.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"Would you like one?" I asked Stefan as I poured myself a bourbon later that night. "Say it; whatever it is, purge. Get it out!" I turned to face him.

"It's about what Isobel said," Stefan stated.

"What about it," I asked.

"Well, a few things, actually," Stefan replied.

"Yay," I exclaimed sarcastically. "A Stefan rant. Go ahead," I stated, taking a drink.

"Well, I know Elena and you have bounded and I know she cares about you and… I know you care about her…I'm just concerned about Elena being hurt. She considers you a friend."

"Same here," I replied. "Elena is a very good friend. Actually, she might qualify as my…only friend. Is that a problem?"

"So, at the risk of sounding like, uh…like a jealous boyfriend: history won't be repeating itself as far as Elena is concerned. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Is it about that Salvatore on each arm thing? Trust me," I replied. "It won't be."

"Do you understand?" Stefan asked again, getting up in my face.

"Relax, we're just friends, and as a friend I wasn't looking forward to telling her the truth anyways. So I'll let you do it." I replied.

"What truth?" Stefan asked.

"About John."

"What are you talking about?" Ah, Stefan; clueless.

"Am I the only one around here who has the ability to put two and two together? Isobel! Hello?" Stefan was still clueless. "She dated John when she was 15; she gets pregnant and ends up in the doctor's office of John's brother. Now, what do you think John's role is in all this? I mean, go ahead, and think about it, I'm waiting. Did you get it? Are you there yet?"

"So you think that _John_ is Elena's father?" Stefan finally asked.

"Ding ding ding ding!" I exclaimed.

"What proof do you have?" Stefan asked.

"I don't need any proof; that's a DNA test for _them_ to deal with." Stefan nodded and then got the broody look back on his face. "Oh, I know that look; there's more isn't there?" I asked.

"There is; it's about Miranda," Stefan replied. Uh oh.

"Yeah what was up with that Destroyer of Worlds thing?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction than I thought it was going to go in.

"Miranda is very…secretive, but that isn't what I wanted to talk about. What's going on between you two?"

"You two who?" I asked.

"You and Miranda. Are you playing with her or are you two actually being nice to each other?" Stefan asked.

"What does it matter?" Stefan gave me a look. "Maybe I'm trying to patch things up with her; a little "I'm sorry" for all the crap Katherine pulled in 1864." Stefan paused.

"You were going to ask her to marry you," he said. "You and father were talking about it before you left to join the army; he wanted you to wait." I turned away from him, pretending to be interested in some books on the library shelves.

"I remember that Miranda and I became friends when you were away." Stefan recalled with a smile. "I never got to know her before then because you kept her all to yourself, but she was so nice anyways. But the reason I liked her was because she made you happy; she made you smile Damon. You loved her."

"And?" I asked. "Your point?"

"She makes you smile like that now; maybe not as much as back then, but I can see it."

"She happens to be funny, Stefan. I can't laugh at a joke every now and then. I'm not that much of a dark, mysterious guy."

"Not like that; it's a "light up my life" smile. And Isobel even said that Miranda was the reason she knew you would hand over the device." Stefan stated.

"You're overreacting Stefan," I walked towards the door; I didn't need to have this conversation.

"You care about her, Damon." Stefan replied.

"She's my…friend, I guess." I said. "Of course I do."

"You love her," Stefan exclaimed. I stopped in my tracks and looked back at him. "You're completely in love with her."

"Goodnight Stefan," I said, leaving quickly. Denial…I saw it written across my forehead as I looked at myself in a mirror in the hallway. I shook my head and went to my room; how long could I keep fooling everyone…including myself?

**A/N: A long chapter…it's worth it. I couldn't get myself to chop it up into two pieces. Reviews are appreciated. I hope you enjoy it; more to come soon. Very soon.**


	22. Hands off my Marshmallow Peeps

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

Friday was me time; I watch movies, I drank blood…it was a really great opportunity to recuperate. Then I found myself unable to sleep, so I went down the hall to one of the unused bedrooms down the hall and started looking through all my old clothes.

Each outfit was in its own box, folded neatly and kept safe. I opened the boxes one by one and took out the ones I had loved the most, trying certain ones on to see if I still liked them. It was like a shopping trip through time, except I already owned everything and they all made me look good.

On Saturday morning, I got dressed in a navy blue and black striped top with leather shoulder straps, denim shorts, and navy heels. I left my house and walked towards the high school. It was a beautiful sunny day, and I smiled seeing the clear, cloudless blue sky.

"Miranda!" I heard someone call my name as I walked into the parking lot. I looked around and saw Elena in her Miss Mystic Falls float dress; she looked more like Katherine now than she did in her plain, modern clothes. I smiled and walked towards her.

"You look great," I exclaimed. "Did Jenna help you? Those dresses are completely impossible to get on by yourself."

"Yeah, Jenna helped. I'm so nervous and excited," she said, and we started walking towards the back of the school where everyone was getting ready. "Look I have goosebumps."

"Everything's going to turn out fine; you and Stefan are going to look so great together in the parade." I replied.

"I was actually going to go and look for him; he called me this morning saying he wanted to talk to me," Elena stated. "It sounded like it was important."

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," I reassured her. We walked past people getting ready for the parade, walking around confused. I spotted Stefan and smiled. "There his is," I said, pointing over to him. "He's talking with Damon. I'll see you later; have fun." Elena smiled and walked towards Stefan; I turned and walked away so I could go stand with the rest of the town for the parade.

I stood amidst all the cheering people, watching all the floats go by, listening to Mrs. Lockwood's commentary as they passed by. I felt someone move close to me and I turned to see Damon.

"Good morning," he said, looking at me with a smile.

"It's a great morning," I replied. "And yet, you still wear black on such a beautiful day."

"You are too," he pointed out. "Besides, I look good in black."

"You do, don't you?" I replied with a smile.

"You're wearing leather," Damon commented, running a finger along the shoulder straps. I just shrugged and kept watching the parade. "So, I talked to Bonnie. I thanked her for dispelling the device." I shrugged again and watched as the Battle of Willow Creek float passed by.

"What are you thinking?" Damon asked.

"Nothing. It just…seemed too superficial," I replied. "I don't trust her."

"She made it harmless." Damon replied. "You just worry too much." I nodded and took a deep breath.

"Maybe that's it," I stated, not believing my own words entirely.

I felt Damon take my chin in his hand and turn my face to look at him, and I saw him incredibly close to me. His breath was warm on my face, and I looked up into his eyes. "Do you trust me?" he asked. I nodded and he backed away.

"Everything's going to be fine," he said with a smile.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"Wait, so John is really Elena's father?" Miranda asked incredulously. "That's…wow; Elena's life is so messed up."

" Tell me about it," I replied, as we walked towards the grill. Miranda's phone began ringing as we walked in, and she looked at me.

"I have to take this," she said.

"Life or death situation?" I asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes." She replied with a small smile. "But I'll come and find you later."

"Alright whatever," I said, smirking. "Take your precious phone call." She walked outside and Elena walked in.

"I like you better like this," I told her as she walked towards me. "Period look…it didn't suit you."

"Is that an insult?" Elena asked.

"Actually, Elena, it's a compliment."

"I wanted to talk to you about something," Elena said. "What's up with you and Miranda?"

"I get to have that conversation with _you_ too? I already talked with Stefan, and you'll get the same answer I gave him. None." I turned and started walking towards the bar.

"But…I saw you two at the Founder's Kick-off, _and_ in your bedroom before the bachelor auction. There is something going on, isn't there?" she asked.

"Nope, nothing."

"Both Stefan and Miranda said that you two had a long story; is that true?"

"It's a long story, yes," I replied. "But that doesn't mean you're going to hear it from me."

"I see the way you are around her; it's different," Elena said.

"You don't know what you're talking about," I scoffed.

"Tell me the truth; do you love her?" she asked, whispering. I looked at the ground, avoiding her eyes.

"Fine," Elena said. "I'm not blind, Damon. If you really care about her, you should tell her." She spotted Jeremy sitting by himself and walked over to him.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

The sun had just set as I walked back towards the Mystic Grill; Sheriff Forbes had found me after I finished my phone call and she introduced me to Carol Lockwood, who kept talking about the Historical Society and all the events that were going to take place once Founder's Day was over.

I was partially excited when she invited me to join the Historical Society; I wanted Mystic Falls to become my home again, and if being part of the community was the only way for that to happen, then so be it.

I maneuvered my way around a group of tweens who were running through the park when I heard my name being called.

"Though you could avoid me, huh?" John asked.

"Just when I thought the day was going to be a good one, you have to talk to me and ruin it." I shook my head. "What do you want John?"

"I just wanted to see how you're enjoying the Founder's Day celebration," he stated. "I saw you talking with Carol Lockwood."

"You got the device John," I said coldly. "You got what you wanted like a spoiled brat, so leave me the hell alone."

"Fine," he shrugged. "I was just trying to be a friendly neighbor, but I guess you aren't as nice as you claim to be."

"No," I replied. "I stopped being a nice person when your little girlfriend Isobel invaded my home and shot me with bullets she got from _you_."

"Why do you think _I_ gave them to her?" he asked smugly.

"I know you," I replied. "I know how you think. You want me to suffer John; you want me to suffer before you kill me."

"That I do, and it'll be sooner than you think, Miranda." He stated before walking away. I sighed and shook my head.

"That man has issues," I muttered. I spotted Damon walking down the sidewalk, a pensive look on his face. I walked up to him and linked my arm with his.

"What's with the look?" I asked with a smile.

"It's nothing," he sighed. "Just thinking…about things."

"Diabolical plan?"

"Not exactly," he replied with a smile. "Having fun? I thought you'd be on a sugar high by now, skipping down the street with a balloon in your hands."

"Nope, sorry. I haven't had enough candy yet; I'm hoping to wait until I get home and then I can stuff myself with marshmallow peeps." Damon looked at me oddly. "I'm joking."

"I never can tell with you," he laughed.

"Got you to laugh," I replied with a victorious smile. "Smiling is always better than the frowny face; you need to smile more often, Damon."

Suddenly, Anna walked in front of us, blocking our path.

"You're still around?" Damon asked. She looked around and motioned for us to follow her. She led us away from the crowd before she spoke.

"There's something you two need to know," she began. "The vampires from the tomb are planning an attack tonight."

"How do you know this?" Damon asked.

"I went to them; they think I'm with them but I'm not," she explained. "They want the founding families dead."

"Of course they do," I groaned, rolling my eyes.

"When is it supposed to happen?" Damon asked.

"When the fireworks start," Anna replied. Damon looked at me and then back to Anna.

"John Gilbert wants to use that invention on them," he said.

"Then we can't be here," Anna stated.

"It doesn't work," I said.

"It's deactivated," Damon added.

"Well," Anna sighed. "Then a lot of people are gonna die."

"Where are they right now?"

"They're already here."

"That's going to be a big problem," I sighed. "Can you point them out?"

"They're dressed so they blend in with the crowd," Anna replied. "Listen, I'm getting out of here. I just wanted to let you know in case you wanted to get anyone home safe." She turned and ran off.

"What are we going to do?" I asked.

"We need to find Rick," Damon replied. He grabbed my hand and we ran through the crowds of people until we found him in front of the Mystic Grill.

"Rick," I called out. He turned and saw us.

"Yeah?" he asked, walking over.

"Do you keep those nifty little vampire darts in the car?" Damon asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "Why do you ask?"

"The square is crawling with tomb vampires," Damon explained.

"They want to cause some trouble," I added.

"I think we might need a stake or two," Damon finished.

"Yeah," Rick nodded. "I got it." He walked off and I spotted Elena and Stefan. I pulled Damon over to them and we walked next to them.

"What are you doing?" Elena asked.

"Saving your life," Damon replied. "Fifteen words or less…tomb vampires are here; founding families are their target."

"You have to get Elena out of here," I told Stefan. Damon began pulling me away, like I had done to him before.

"Wait where are you going?" Stefan called out.

"That's more than fifteen words Stefan," Damon replied. Soon, they were out of my sight and I looked at Damon.

"That wasn't nice."

"No time for nice, Miranda. We have to tell John; this is his fault," he explained. "He had control over the rest of the tomb vampires, he knew they were going to attack and was going to use the device to kill them."

"And now all those people are going to die because the device won't work." I said in realization. I heard echoing booms accompanied by the excited screams of the crowd and I looked up at the sky. It was lit up with the beginnings of the fireworks display. I squeezed Damon's hand and we kept running.

We got to the Gilbert building and walking inside; John stood there over the device and he looked over his shoulder at us.

"Do you have any idea of what you've done?" Damon asked angrily.

"Yes," John replied with a smirk. "As a matter of fact, I do." He turned back to the device and there was a clicking noise before an ear-piercing screech filled the air. I let go of Damon's hand as it got louder, filling my head with an unbearable pain. A burning, throbbing, stabbing pain inside my head, like it was trying to get out; it was getting louder and I clutched my head, falling to the floor.

I watched as Damon fell to the floor beside me, groaning loudly in pain. I sobbed loudly, wanting the pain to end; it was unbearable. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that it would get better. I felt a pinprick on my arm and opened my eyes. I saw John looming over me through blurry eyes; I felt another pinprick and then everything just went black.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"—the only thing keeping them down is vervain." I heard a distorted voice as I woke up. Where was I; what happened? I opened my eyes and saw that my vision was blurry "We don't have much time; let's finish this."

I saw a figure next to me move; I blinked a few times and saw Miranda was lying there, unconscious and barely breathing.

"Anna—" I heard the voice say. I recognized it as John Gilbert. The device, the pain, the vervain; that bastard had knocked us out. Where was I? I turned my head and saw John standing over Anna, who was also laying on the floor.

She tried getting up and John pulled a stake from his pocket and listened to her plead before killing her. He started pouring gasoline around and on the bodies of other vampires. He walked up the stairs and set the gasoline on fire, causing it to spread and burn the vampires.

"Miranda," I said, trying to shake her so she would wake up.

"Five more minutes, mom," she replied groggily. She sighed and then spoke again. "Bobbi, put that cigarette out; it's going to kill you."

"Miranda, wake up," I tried again. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes slowly, looking at me.

"Damon?" she asked. "What happened?" Slowly, she turned from me and struggled to sit up. I looked over and saw the mayor sitting up, holding his head.

"Mayor." I said. "Is that you?" he looked over at me, shielding his eyes from the fire.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I'm a vampire." I stated lazily. "What's your excuse?" He scooted backwards to get away from me. "No really; the vervain didn't affect you, you're not a vampire…what the hell are you?" He backed up even more and into another vampire.

"Mayor Lockwood!" he exclaimed. He was too quick and snapped the Mayor's neck.

"Damon, the vampires are burning," Miranda said. She slowly stood up, and ducking as a burning beam fell down.

"Nice observation skills," I replied, coughing from the fire. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. The tomb vampires were screaming as they burned. "Your arm's on fire," I stated, trying to get up. She looked and saw that the sleeve of her jacket had started burning; she patted it out and walked over to me.

"We're going to die," I stated.

"It's alright," she tried helping me to sit up; she laced my fingers with hers as she sat next to me. "We'll die together."

"Why aren't you wheezing and choking?" I asked.

"I guess I'm special…" she laughed weakly.

"I want to tell you something," I stated.

"Now would be the appropriate time," she replied. Almost immediately after she said that, Stefan ran down the stairs.

"Damon!" he ran over and helped me up. Miranda stood up, careful to watch the flames that were around us. "Are you good Miranda?"

"Just peachy, go!" she exclaimed. "Get him out of here!" Stefan nodded and ran us up the stairs; he brought me outside and I saw Bonnie and Elena there as well; Miranda ran out shortly afterwards.

"Elena," she said. "You have to call 911. That fire is only going to get worse." Elena nodded, and she and Bonnie walked away. Stefan helped me lean against the wall of a building for support; Miranda walked over and looked at me like she was trying to see if I was alright.

"Are you ok?" I asked, coughing. Her eyes were wide and full of fear and worry.

"Me?" she asked in return. "What about you?"

"I'll be fine," I replied. She smiled and gave me a hug, wrapping her arms around my neck and resting her head on my shoulder. I moved my arms so they were around her waist and I pulled her closer.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"Are you going to be ok?" I asked as Damon and I walked down the sidewalk of my street.

"I need to talk to Jeremy; John killed Anna in the basement before torching the place," Damon replied.

"Oh…wow. I'll be at home; do you want me to get you some blood? You're probably still weak from the vervain."

"Yeah, thanks," Damon said. "That'd be great. I'll see you in a little bit." He gave me a small smile before disappearing. I ran into my house and into the bathroom; I looked like a mess. My hair was disheveled and smelled of smoke from the flames, my clothes had burn marks and my skin had some ash smudges here and there.

I went upstairs to my bedroom to change and clean myself up a little bit; I put on a pair of jeans and a grey silk blouse. My phone began to ring and I picked it up.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Oh, Miranda. Hey." Elena said.

"Hey, Elena. What's up? Did they stop the fire?"

"Yeah, I just left the Grill so I can get my stuff from the school. I wanted to know if you wanted to have a girl's day tomorrow."

"Girl's day?" I asked. "Why?"

"You know…now that all the drama is over," Elena said. "I can have Bonnie over too, and then we can watch a movie, I can finally cash in my rain check for the story about you and Damon—" I laughed and interrupted her.

"So _that's_ what this girl's day is about. That's fine; I have nothing better to do. I didn't think Bonnie liked me that much."

"She's…a little mad at you, but I'm sure she'll be ok; she's more angry at Damon. You're one of the nice vampires."

"I'm one of the nice vampires?" I asked, shocked.

"Yeah…that's weird." She suddenly said.

"What's weird?" I asked, walking down the stairs as I put my hair up into a ponytail.

"My dress and my bag are gone," Elena replied. "I left them right here after the parade."

"Maybe Jenna came and brought them home for you?" I suggested.

"Maybe…I'll look around and see if anyone moved them. See you later."

"Bye," I said, closing my phone. "Weird." I tossed my phone on the couch and ran down to the basement to get some blood bags.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I walked out of the front door of Elena's house; my conversation with Jeremy hadn't gone exactly as I thought it would. I saw Elena walk up the porch steps and look at me.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Failed and feeble attempt at doing the right thing," I replied.

"Which was?"

"Not important," I replied. I saw her holding her dress and bag. "Let me take this for you," I offered. I took the items out of her hands and placed them on the porch swing.

"Thank you," she said.

"You know, I came in this town wanting to destroy it. Tonight I found myself wanting to protect it; how does that happen?" I asked. "I'm not a hero, Elena. I don't do good; it's not in me."

"Maybe it is," she replied.

"No. Nah, that's reserved for Miranda…my brother, and you…and Bonnie. Even though she has every reason to hate me, she still helped Stefan save me."

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Elena asked.

"Because she did it for you, which means that somewhere along the way, you decided I was worth saving. I wanted to thank you for that. And…for helping me open my eyes. You were right at the Grill, about my feelings for Miranda. So thank you."

"You're welcome." She replied.

I took a step closer and kissed her on the cheek, and was completely shocked when she turned and kissed me on the lips. I pushed her away immediately and looked at her, confused and shocked. What was she doing?

"What—?" I started, but I was cut off. The front door suddenly opened and there stood Jenna, looking at the two of us.

"Hi," Elena said.

"It's late," Jenna said. "You should probably come inside." Elena nodded and got her things before walking inside. Jenna closed the door, and I walked down the steps. I shook my head and walked down the sidewalk to Miranda's house.

I rang the doorbell and waited until she opened the door. She had changed her clothes, and her hair was up in a ponytail, her bags framing her face perfectly.

"Hey, come in," she said. I walked inside and she closed the door. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing…I was just thinking," I replied. She nodded and disappeared; I walked into her living room and sat down. She had been watching a movie and the volume was extremely low. I was about to reach for her remote when she was suddenly sitting next to me, handing me a mug full of blood while taking a drink from her own.

"I can't believe you called me "mom"," I said, referring to her vervain-induced trance in the basement earlier tonight. "What was that about?" I hungrily drank the blood and waited for her answer.

"I was dreaming about my parents…" she replied bashfully.

"Robert and Marybeth?"

"No," she scoffed. "My real parents. Of course, I wouldn't say "five more minutes, mom" to my mother back then. She would be appalled if she saw the way the world turned out."

"How did she die?" I asked.

"I killed her…" A dark smile appeared on her lips. "I was 19 when I died and I killed the entire town out of rage when I woke up."

"Wow…I didn't know that." I said, placing my mug down on the coffee table.

"My life is a nightmare, Damon." She shrugged. "Nobody knows the whole thing except for me."

"What if I want to know?" I asked, turning to face her. She laughed and put her mug next to mine.

"I'm a vault," she said. "It's hard to get secrets from me. You gotta have the right combination."

"What if I know the combination," I asked. I ran a finger down her face, cupping her chin in my hand and running my thumb over her bottom lip.

"What if you don't?" she asked in return. I leaned over until my lips were right next to her ear.

"Only one way to find out," I whispered. I moved back and pressed my lips to hers gently, moving my hand to her neck to cradle her head. I pulled back and kissed her again, harder this time and filled with desire. She sighed and moved closer to me, giggling like a little girl; did she find this funny?

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

Damon pulled away and looked at me, staying incredibly close. "Was that it?" he asked.

"Sorry," I smirked. "Not the right one."

"Should I stop?" he asked.

"What do you think?" I smiled and quickly moved so I was straddling him, one of my hands on his chest while the other went into his hair, and I kissed him. I felt him smirking into the kiss before his arms encircled my waist and held me close so I couldn't move.

Our lips moved against each other quickly and in perfect sync; Damon pulled away from me and looked at me with lust filled eyes. He rested his forehead against mine as he moved one of his hands up to my neck and pulled on the bow I carefully tied with a navy blue scarf.

The material slid against my skin and he tossed it into the floor carelessly. He pressed a soft kiss to my lips and then trailed kisses down my jaw to my neck; I moaned softly as he playfully bit my skin.

Suddenly, I felt a rush of wind and I opened my eyes to see we were in my kitchen, which was only lit up by the track lights near the sink. I was sitting on the counter and Damon was still kissing and biting my neck.

"This is…very unsanitary," I mumbled, my words jumbling together because he was making rational thought very hard to keep. "Maybe we should move?"

"Maybe," he replied quickly. "But you're enjoying it and so am I, so what's the point?"

Oh, this wasn't going to end well.

**A/N: That's it! The next chapter starts Season 2, and I'm afraid you're going to have to wait a few days for it. I have 3 algebra tests this week, so I need to put all my attention on that. But if I pass them, then I can work on the story more. Reviews are always appreciated, and I hope you enjoyed it!**


	23. The Bitch is Back in Town

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

I pulled Damon away from my neck and pressed my lips to his roughly; I felt him playing with the hem of my blouse and giggled when his fingers brushed against my sides. I pulled away and laughed.

"You're ticklish?" he asked incredulously.

"Mmhm," I replied, trying to compose myself. "Incredibly so." He smiled gently placed quick, soft kisses on my lips. I heard a noise coming from my living room and made him stop by placing a hand on his chest.

"Do you hear that?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's my phone," he replied. He grasped my hand with his and leaned closer again.

"Aren't you going to get it?"

"Someone's always interrupting our fun," Damon said. "I think it can wait." I looked over his shoulder at the stove clock and saw it was just a little past midnight.

"I don't think anyone would call at this time if it wasn't an emergency," I tried to convince him. "Can you please just go and check it?" Damon huffed and helped me off the counter before we went back into the living room.

I turned my television off, causing the room to become dark, and walked over to the window. I saw the red and blue flashing lights of police cars down the street by Elena's house; Damon sighed and walked over to me.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I don't know." I replied.

"We need to go to the hospital," he said. "It was Liz; Caroline was in a car accident."

"What?" I asked, turning to face him.

"Yeah, she sounded frantic," he said. "Do you want to drive?"

"Sure," I nodded. "Hold on a second." I quickly ran upstairs and grabbed my keys and my purse before going outside. I locked my door and walked over to the car to find Damon already sitting inside, playing with my radio.

"Honestly," I sighed as I got into the driver's seat and starting the car. "You can't stay still and keep your hands to yourself for two seconds?"

"I don't need to touch the radio," he replied, stopping his station surfing on a rock station He reached over and placed his hand on my thigh. "There are other more _interesting_ things to touch in this car."

I sighed and looked over at him before peeling his hand off; Damon smirked and I rolled my eyes in annoyance I backed out of my driveway and started driving to the hospital. As we passed by Elena's house, I could see police officers standing by the doors and walking out of the house. All the lights were on and silhouettes could be seen moving through the blinds.

When we got to the hospital, we found Sheriff Forbes by the nurses' station outside of the ER. She was silent and had a blank look on her face.

"Liz," Damon said as we walked closer. "We came as soon as we got the message; is she ok?"

"She's in surgery, it's…they're doing everything they can." She sighed. "I need your help, Damon"

"Sure, anything," the walked off to the side, leaving me at the nurses' station reading Caroline's file. I listened to their conversation as I read.

"Mayor Lockwood is dead," she whispered. "They though he was a vampire and they put him in the basement."

"Mayor Lockwood was a vampire?" Damon asked and I thought the same thing. Why would he be in the basement with the rest of us?

"No, no. A mistake was made; they said he dropped like the others when John's device went off, but he…he couldn't have been a vampire. I've known the man my whole life." She sighed. "Now Carol Lockwood is gonna want answers and all I can think of right now is Caroline and…" she started sobbing.

I turned and saw Damon trying to comfort her; I walked over and patted her shoulder. "It'll be ok; how about we go and get some coffee, or some nice calming tea, and when we get back, Caroline will be out of surgery and everything is gonna be alright. Ok?"

She gave me a watery smile and nodded; I smiled at Damon and then led her away.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm usually composed and can deal with everything…"

"Don't apologize," I shook my head. "She's your only daughter and your worried about her. I understand; worrying about your family is always the worst part of life."

"Thank you," she nodded.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I walked down the hall to Caroline's room when her surgery was over; I thought Miranda would be there with Liz, but instead I saw Elena and Bonnie.

"—don't know if she's going to make it," Bonnie said.

"What?" Elena asked, shocked. Bonnie gave her a hug. "Is there something you can do? Like a spell or something?" I took the moment to approach them.

"She doesn't know how," I looked at Bonnie. "Do you?'

"No, I don't," she admitted.

"No, you don't." I repeated. "Because it took Emily years to learn a spell like that."

"I can take down a vampire," she threatened. "That spell was easy to learn." I rolled my eyes.

"I can give Caroline some blood," I offered to them both.

"No," Elena refused. "No way."

"No, just enough to heal her. She will be safe in the hospital and it will be out of her system in a day." I explained. "She'll be better, Elena."

"It's too risky, I can't agree to that."

"Do it," Bonnie said. Elena looked at her, shocked. "This is Caroline; we can't let her die. Do it."

"If I do this, you and me call truce?" I asked.

"No, but you'll do it anyway," Bonnie replied. She turned and walked away. I turned to Elena; I was angry and confused. Why would she kiss me if she was the one trying to get me to confess my feelings about Miranda? Would she really betray Stefan like that; she loved him.

"I know this is probably the last thing you want to do right now," I began. "But we should probably talk about what happened tonight."

"Yeah, one of the tomb vampires got into the house and almost killed John," she replied.

"What? When? What are you talking about?" I asked, confused. I thought about the police and the squad cars outside of her house. "After I left?"

"You were there?" she asked like she didn't know what I was talking about.

"Come on, Elena, you know I was."

"When were you at the house?" she asked.

"Really?" I asked. "Earlier, on the porch; we were talking, I thanked you for helping me with my feelings for Miranda? Come on, you kissed me Elena!" I exclaimed quietly. She sighed and shook her head.

"Ok, I don't have time for this Damon," she said and began to walk away, but I caught her arm.

"If you feel bad and want to forget it, fine. I want to know why!" I said.

"Elena!" Jenna's voice rang through the hall. I let go of Elena's arm and turned around, running my hand through my hair in frustration.

"I came as soon as I got your message," Jenna stated. "How's John?"

"Where have you been?" Elena asked.

"At the…fire department, I had to fill out a report. I told earlier…" Jenna replied.

"No you didn't," Elena said.

"Yes, I did," Jenna replied.

"No, Jenna," Elena insisted. "You didn't." I looked over at them; something weird was going on.

"Yes I did."

"Oh," I muttered. "You've gotta be kidding me." That's when I knew what was going on; Katherine. Jenna and Elena both gave me a weird look and I walked off to go and find Miranda. After a minute, Elena followed me.

"Damon, where are you going?" she asked.

"I need to find Miranda; we have a little…situation." I quickly opened my phone and called her.

"Yeah?" Miranda answered.

"Bad news," I told her. "Where are you?"

"I'm outside; Liz just left to go get some things for Caroline," she replied.

"Elena and I will meet you at the door in…" I sighed and though. "Two minutes? Does that sound ok?"

"Uh, sure," she replied. "Why; what's going on?"

"Not enough time to explain; we'll talk on the way to Elena's house." I got to the elevator bay and Elena looked frantic.

"What's wrong, Damon?" she asked.

"We'll see when we get there," I replied as we stepped into the elevator.

"Get where?"

"Your house; Miranda's meeting us outside."

We walked out of the elevator on the ground floor and outside to the parking lot; immediately, Miranda pulled up to the door.

"Ready?" she asked. I nodded and sped over to the passenger's seat; Elena sat in the back.

"You gonna tell me what happened?" Miranda asked low enough for only me to hear.

"We've got a problem on our hands," I replied.

"Don't we always," she sighed and sped out of the parking lot.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I parked in my driveway and the three of us ran across the street to Elena's house; the police had left by now and the block was quiet. Elena struggled to get her keys into the lock and then opened the door; we walked inside and found Stefan getting up from the floor. He popped his shoulder in and then looked over at us.

"Stefan," Elena began.

"Elena," Stefan replied, trying to catch his breath.

"What happened?" she asked. I looked around and surveyed the living room; the couch looked messed up and the pillows were on the floor.

"Katherine happened," Damon replied. Hold on a second; Katherine?

"What?" I asked.

"He's right, it was Katherine. She was pretending to be Elena," Stefan said.

"I'm going to go upstairs and check on Jeremy," Elena said. As Elena walked upstairs, we walked into the kitchen to continue our little conversation.

"Welcome to Hell; version 2.0," I sighed and leaned against the counter.

"I know what you mean," Stefan replied.

"Did she say what she wanted?" Damon asked.

"No," Stefan stated simply as began pacing.

"Woman certainly knows how to make an entrance," Damon commented.

"She said she fooled one of us at least," Stefan said. "What does that mean?"

"She pretended to be Elena too when I showed up earlier tonight," Damon replied. Elena walked into the kitchen and sighed.

"I told Jeremy; I can't lie to him anymore," she said.

"Are you alright?" Stefan asked, walking over to her.

"No, I'm not alright," she replied. "I thought that with all the tomb vampires gone, things were going to get better."

"I know; we all did," Stefan said.

"Katherine was in the house, which means she was invited in," Elena realized. "What are we going to do?" Damon sighed.

"Move?" he suggested. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Very helpful, thank you." Elena deadpanned.

"If Katherine wants you dead, there's zero you can do about it; you'll be dead. But you're not, so clearly she has other plans," Damon said.

"Right and we need to find out what those other plans are and not provoke her in the process. What happened tonight when you thought she was Elena?" Stefan asked.

"Well, we talked and…" he paused and tilted his head to the side.

"Spit it out," I said, getting impatient.

"To risk another front line encroaching on your very crowded forehead …we… kissed" Damon answered.

"And you thought it was me?" Elena asked, incredulously. That wasn't even close to what was going through my mind.

"What do you mean you kissed?" Stefan asked.

"Well, technically, she kissed me." Damon said. Stefan used his vampire speed to go after Damon, but Damon beat him to it and ran to the other side of the room. "I pushed her away Stefan; I was thinking about you."

"Ew," I laughed.

"You know what I mean," Damon chastised, pointing a finger at me menacingly.

"Ha-ha; it's still funny," I giggled.

"You thought Katherine was me and you pushed her away? Why?" Elena asked.

"I didn't think you would betray Stefan like that, and I didn't want to either." Damon explained. I pushed myself off the counter and walked around the island to where they were.

"Wait, there's gotta be more; you don't like him." I said, pointing at Stefan. "No offense."

"No, you're right," Stefan agreed, turning to Damon. "You don't like me; why would you do that for me?"

"We don't have time for this," Elena interrupted. "John must know something; there has to be a reason why Katherine tried to kill him."

"She's Katherine," Damon replied, crossing his arms. "She loves to play games and you're fooling yourself if you think you're gonna find out what she's been up to before she wants you to know."

"Actually, Elena's right." Stefan said. "John could know something through Isobel. Your mother, she was in touch with Katherine. So maybe we can go to the hospital and talk?"

"I've got a better idea," Damon offered.

"And that would be?" I asked.

"I'm just gonna ignore the bitch," he replied.

"Is that smart?" Elena asked.

"If Katherine thinks she's being ignored, it will lure her out. She'll make a move," he said.

"And then what?" Stefan asked.

"Stake her, rip her head off…something poetic. We'll see." There was silence for a second before I decided to end it.

"Well, I'm going home. I need sleep; it's been a long day. I'll see you guys later," I yawned and left the house, hearing the goodbyes of Elena and Stefan. I ran to my house and was about to walk up the steps of my porch when I felt a tug on my arm.

"Where do you think you're going?" Damon asked.

"Inside so I can sleep…I think I elaborated that enough at Elena's." I replied, turning to look at him.

"Are you angry?" he asked.

"No," I stated truthfully. "I'm a little bit annoyed, but I'm not angry."

"Why?" he asked, taking a step closer.

"No reason," I replied, taking a step back.

"Something's wrong," he said, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Nothing," I muttered. "It's nothing."

"It's not," he stated. "What are you thinking?" I sighed.

"Katherine kissed you, and you thought it was Elena. You pushed her away and came here, only to start making out with me." I began, amused. "I don't believe that "I care about you, Stefan" bullshit. If you thought she was Elena, why didn't you just suck face with her?"

"I didn't want to," he shrugged. "I don't like Elena like that."

"But she looks like Katherine," I stated.

"She isn't Katherine," he replied.

"So you _do_ want Katherine?" I asked.

"You're impossible sometimes," he sighed, shaking his head.

"No, I just love messing with you," I laughed and he captured me in his arms.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow morning for Mayor Lockwood's memorial." He whispered. "How does that sound?" he asked.

"Sounds good," I smiled and then began laughing.

"What?" he laughed as well.

"Nothing, I just felt like laughing."

"I like it when you smile," Damon whispered. "It's a very…Miranda thing you do."

"That doesn't make any sense," I whispered and pulled away from his grasp. "I'll see you tomorrow." I turned and walked up the porch steps to go inside; I glanced back at Damon before I closed the door, and I waved goodbye.

Tomorrow would be another day...and another chance to kill Katherine before someone else did.

* * *

The next day at the Lockwood Mansion, I stood awkwardly by the door; I didn't like funerals or memorials…or whatever this was. I had been invited inside already, and I had paid my respects to Carol Lockwood. Damon had went to talk with her and Liz, and told me to stay until he got back.

"You're friends with Elena Gilbert right?" I heard someone ask me. I turned and saw Tyler Lockwood watching me.

"Yeah, I live down the street from her," I replied. "I'm Miranda, nice to meet you." I extended my hand and he shook it.

"I'm Tyler," he smiled. "Nice to meet you too."

"I'm sorry for your loss," I said.

"Thanks…it's a shock, you know. He wasn't that great a dad, but I'll still miss him."

"Loss is hard," I replied. "Hopefully you have some good memories of him along with the bad ones." Damon walked over and grabbed my hand, pulling me with him.

"Bye," I called to Tyler.

"See you around," he replied with a smile. Once we were far enough away, I slapped Damon on the arm.

"Thanks for leaving me alone," I said. "I don't know what to do at these things."

"You've never been to a funeral before?" he asked.

"No I have," I stated simply. "The last one I really remember was yours back in 1864/"

"Did you leave flowers?" he joked.

"Ha ha, you're a real comedian," I deadpanned. "Do you know why the mayor was in the basement?"

"Nope," he sighed. "No clue."

"That sucks," I replied. Just then, Carol Lockwood walked into the room, talking with a tan, buff surfer guy. "Who's he?"

"I don't know; he seems very…chummy with her." Sheriff Forbes walked over and Damon tapped her shoulder.

"Who's the guy with Carol?" he asked.

"That's the mayor's younger brother, Mason Lockwood," she replied.

"Is he on the council? Like John Gilbert when he rolled in?" Damon asked.

"He's nothing like John," Liz began. "For one, he's not an ass. He's not a believer either; he wants nothing to do with the council. He's too preoccupied finding the perfect wave."

"He looks the beach bum type." I commented.

"Thanks Liz. See you." Damon said, and Liz walked away. Damon got a look on his face as we walked out of the room.

"You're scheming," I said. "I want in, what is it?"

"Maybe he can help us find out why the mayor was effected by the device," he replied. "What if he doesn't know anything?" I asked.

Damon pulled me into another room where food had been laid out on a table; I had brought a platter of homemade pastries despite Damon's insistence that they wouldn't need it. "It's just the proper thing to do," I said.

"Did you know that the Gilbert device affected Tyler Lockwood?" Bonnie asked as she followed us.

"Well," Damon picked up a grape and popped it into his mouth. "I know it took the mayor down."

"Don't you wanna know why?" she asked.

"Yes Bonnie, I would love to know why a non-vampire was tortured by the vampire torture device that you let John Gilbert use against us." he replied. "Speaking of your guilt how is Caroline?"

"Much better," she replied.

"You're welcome," Damon stated.

"What did you do?" I asked.

"I gave her some blood to help her recover from the accident." I looked at him, completely shocked. "What?"

"Nothing," I sighed.

"No," Bonnie interrupted. "_You're_ welcome.

"Why am I welcome?" he asked.

"You lived to see another day," she sneered at him.

"No good deed goes unpunished with you does it?" he asked.

"Doesn't undo the bad," she stated. "I know what you are, Damon. You might have everybody else fooled, but not me. One wrong move and I'm going to take you out." I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms; maybe I didn't dislike Bonnie, but I didn't trust her.

"Now, you need to stop with the witches' brood; you're starting to believe your own press." Bonnie looked away and when she looked Damon had a look of agony on his face; he pressed his hand to his forehead. I waited for her to stop her magic, but Bonnie didn't let up.

"You can stop now," I stated gently. "This isn't going anywhere." After a few seconds, Damon put his hand down and looked at Bonnie angrily.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You were saying?" she asked snidely. She huffed and walked away.

"What the hell?" he growled and looked at me. "I'm going to lose my patience and kill her one day."

"Poor baby," I laughed. "The little witch intimidates you."

"As if," he scoffed. "She pisses me off. Why did you just stand there and watch; you should have ripped her in pieces."

"That's not in the job description," I stated simply, smirking and tilting my head to the side slyly. "I'll be back; I'm going to go find Bonnie and see if she's alright."

"_That's_ in the job description?" Damon asked.

"I'm the glue," I replied. "I hold everyone together when the nails and staples can't; occasionally I'm poisonous, but I don't think we have to worry about that…yet." I backed away from him and walked out of the room.

I weaved through the crowds of people, looking for Bonnie. I found her in an empty room, her eyes were wide and she was panting.

"What's wrong?" I asked. She shook her head and refused to look at me.

"Bonnie, please; I might be angry because you didn't deactivate the device, but you can trust me."

"Katherine," she stated. There was only one thing she needed to say one thing to get me to freeze in anger, and that was it.

**A/N: It's been a long week and I think I might have mono, but I still cranked out this chapter because I love you all. Let me know what you think.**


	24. Mistakes We Make

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Damon's POV**

I had been standing on the porch at the Lockwood's for a good ten minutes, staring at people as they walked up the driveway and into the house. Elena, Jenna and Jeremy walked up to the house, bickering about why everyone was here before the funeral.

"You guys go ahead; I'll be right there, ok?" Elena said. She walked over to me as the others walked inside. "Hey, how are you doing?"

"Great Elena," I said sarcastically. "Walking on sunshine; thanks for asking." Elena sighed in frustration.

"Why did you push Katherine away, Damon?" she asked. What was it with everyone trying to pry into my head; they needed to know everything I though.

"Those are my secrets to keep," I replied slyly.

"Come on Damon," she huffed. "Just tell me; I'm not going to blab it to the world."

"Nope," I said, finishing my drink.

"It's about Miranda, right?" she asked; I stayed silent. "It _is_ about Miranda. You pushed Katherine away because of Miranda."

"No," I replied sharply. "I pushed Katherine away because I thought it was you, and you love Stefan. Besides, I don't like you like that Elena."

"You like Miranda like that, though," she stated. "She had to have something to do about it; she wasn't on your mind at all when you thought you were talking to me?"

"Maybe…" I replied.

"Damon," she said in a warning tone.

"Fine," I practically shouted. I lowered my voice and continued, "Miranda _was_ on my mind. I was telling you—well it wasn't really you, but you get it—that you were right. At the grill, you were right about the way I feel about her."

"So are you going to tell her?" Elena asked, trying to hide the glee in her voice.

"I—wait; since when are you playing matchmaker?" I asked. "I feel like I'm in a beauty parlor spilling my deepest secrets to my "girlfriends"." I said, raising my voice theatrically.

Suddenly, Miranda ran out onto the porch, tugging Bonnie along with her.

"Elena," Bonnie exclaimed.

"Bonnie?" Elena asked. "What happened?" Miranda had a blank expression on her face, and Bonnie had a look of terror on hers.

"Katherine's here," Miranda answered for her. "She almost attacked Bonnie after pretending to be you."

"What?" she asked walking over and hugging Bonnie. Miranda took a step closer to me and folded her arms over her chest.

"Stefan stopped her," Bonnie said as she hugged Elena. "I don't know where they are."

"We'll find them," I said. "Just relax and stay where there are a lot of people. Katherine won't be tempted to try anything."

Miranda, Elena and I began to walk through the Lockwood Mansion, to look for Stefan. We dodged and weaved through the people who were chatting and eating, occasionally asking someone if they had seen where Stefan had gone to.

When we got to the back yard, Miranda stopped me; "do you hear that?" she asked. I carefully listened to the surroundings, blocking out the lull of the chatter behind us.

"Is that—" I began, hearing a groaning sound coming from far away.

"Uh, huh." She nodded. I used my enhanced speed to get there quickly; I found Stefan laying on the ground with a bleeding gash in his stomach. "This is not good," I muttered.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I arrived shortly afterwards, running with Elena at human speed.

"Oh my God," I whispered, covering my mouth with my hand when I saw Stefan.

"Stefan," Elena exclaimed and walked over to help him sit up.

"I'm going after her," Damon growled before running off.

"I'll be right back," I told Elena. I ran back to the house, switching to human speed as I got close enough for people to see. I went into one of the bathrooms and soaked a washcloth in cold water before running back to where Elena and Stefan were.

I handed Elena the washcloth and helped Stefan get up and walk over to a garden bench so he could sit. Elena sat next to him and I turned away. Why would Katherine stab Stefan; he must have said something to provoke her.

"I tried to track her, but she's gone," Damon said as he walked toward us; Damon turned away as he saw Stefan had his shirt up so Elena could help him. "Ooh, cover up Fabio; we've got a crazy ex on the loose. You better watch out Elena, it looks like Katherine's trying to steal your guy."

"That isn't what's happening," Stefan said.

"Isn't it?" Damon asked with a smirk.

"I'm gonna check on Jenna and Jeremy; let me know when you guys are done talking." Elena got up and walked back to the house. Once Elena was far enough away, Damon turned to Stefan.

"So, you still think I'm trying to steal your girl? What's it gonna be, huh?" he asked, putting up his fists. "Fight to the death?"

"You're ridiculous," I sighed. "It's like watching Potsie trying to fight Ralph."

"Sometimes I think you like Stefan more than you like me," Damon pouted, running behind me and resting his head on my shoulder. "You see what you've done Stefan; you've turned Miranda against me."

"Listen," Stefan sighed. "Katherine's going to try and play us against each other, you do know that right?"

"That's impossible, brother, out bond is unbreakable," Damon replied.

"That doesn't mean she won't try," I said. "You two were practically best friends in 1864 and she obviously got between you then."

"Exactly," Stefan agreed. "That means we need to stay united against her."

"I don't love her anymore Stefan," Damon said, taking a step away from me and towards Stefan. "She's not going to get into my head."

"She's still going to try to," Stefan reasoned, getting up. "We just need to stay strong against her."

"Consider it done," Damon said.

"We'll see," Stefan stated before walking away, going back to the memorial.

"He has absolutely no faith in me," Damon stated as he turned to face me. "And neither do you."

"What?" I asked, the shock evident in my voice.

"I see it in your face," he said. "It's like you're just waiting to be disappointed in me."

"That's interesting," I replied, shrugging. "Maybe you're reading me wrong?"

"Am I?" he asked; I walked up to him.

"Yes, you are," I whispered. "I'll see you later." I began slowly walking back to the house.

"Where are you going?" he called after me. "I drove you here!"

"And?" I called back, turning and walking backwards so I could look at him. "I have legs." I watched him look at me, his eyes trailing up and down my form.

"Mm, don't I know it?" he smirked. I rolled my eyes and turned back around. I felt a gust of wind and suddenly Damon was in front of me. "So, where are you going?"

"No where special; you're not going to want to come."

"Field trip?"

"I'm just going to see someone about a painting and I'm probably going to be there for a while."

"And the reason I can't join you is…"

"I can't trust you to keep your hands to yourself and not destroy any _other _paintings. I've been hunting this down for months and I am fortunate that it isn't in a museum somewhere."

"Is that what all those phone calls have been about?" Damon asked.

"It could be," I replied. "I'll stop by the boarding house tonight and show it to you if you want?"

"Sure," he nodded. "I'm interested in why you've been acting like a drug dealer every time the phone rings."

"You're such a jackass," I laughed. "I'll see you later."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I got home by the time it was dark outside; I walked inside and tossed my jacket on a chair in the living room before walking over and pouring myself a drink. I picked up my glass and was about to walk to my room when I felt a familiar presence in the room with me.

At first I thought it was Miranda, because of the sense of playfulness and wisdom, but after a few seconds I knew who it was. "It was very brave of you to come here," I stated, turning around and seeing Katherine lounging on the couch.

"I wanted to say goodbye," she replied.

"Leaving so soon?" I asked sarcastically.

"I know where I'm not wanted."

"Don't pout," I said. "It's not attractive on a woman your age."

"Ouch," she scoffed. I downed the entire glass of bourbon and turned to leave when I saw Katherine standing there in front of me.

"What, no goodbye kiss?" she asked.

"Why don't I kill you instead?" I offered. "What are you doing here?"

"Nostalgia, curiosity, etc."

"I'm better at the enigmatic one-liners Katherine." I stated. "What are you up to?"

"Trust me Damon, when I'm up to something you'll know it." She looked me up and down before taking a step closer. "Come on; kiss me or kill me. Which one will it be Damon; we both know that you're only capable of one."

She was about to kiss me when I backed off and turned away; I didn't want her…I couldn't let her into my head so she could play me again. Suddenly she was in front of me, and she pushed me to the ground before kneeling next to me, and running her hands over my chest.

"My sweet…innocent Damon," she spoke softly into my ear. I quickly raised a hand up and grabbed her by the throat before turning us over and pinning her to the ground.

She looked up at me with a look that was conniving and lustful and innocent. I looked into her eyes and was drawn in like a fool; I gave into the strong urge to kiss her. I quickly moved away from her lips and kissed her neck and shoulder.

"Oh yeah, that's how I like it," Katherine muttered. She pushed me away with her vampire speed and pinned me to the wall across the room. I watched as she quickly ripped my shirt open; I continued kissing Katherine…her lips, her neck, trying to enjoy the feel of her skin against my lips, but there was something wrong.

Something in my mind kept nagging at me; Katherine doesn't feel like _she_ does. Katherine doesn't kiss as well as _she _kisses. Katherine is playing you isn't she? If I ask Katherine _the_ question, what will the answer be? What if I ask _her_, what would_ she_ say?

I tried to ignore it but I could only fight back. I love Katherine, I need Katherine…I don't need anyone else. _Yes I do._

I gave in and stopped, pulling away slightly from Katherine. I needed to prove the voice in my head wrong. "Ok, wait," I panted. I raised my hand and held up one finger. "Okay, brief pause." Katherine grabbed my neck and tossed me away from her.

"I have a question," I said. "Answer it and it's back to fireworks and rockets' red glare; answer it right, I'll forget the last 145 years I've spent missing you. I'll forget how much I loved you…I'll forget everything and we can start over; this can be our defining moment. We have the time; that's the beauty of eternity." I took a step closer and ran my hands through her hair, pushing it out of her face. "I just need the truth, just once."

"Stop," Katherine said. "I already know the question and its answer. The truth is…I've never loved you." I felt my heart cracking again…the third time I let her do this to me. "It was always Stefan." She removed my hands from her face and walked away.

I stared at the wall where Katherine had been standing just a second before; there was a part of me that felt like a giant weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I sighed and cast my eyes downwards to the floor and I heard a slow clapping behind me, causing my head to snap up in surprise. "No," I whispered in realization.

"Well," Miranda's voice rang through the room. "I really enjoyed the show." I turned around and saw that she was standing across the room, by the door to the sitting room; one of her legs was propped up against the wall as she leaned against it.

"How much did you see?" I asked.

"All of it; I'm not surprised you didn't hear me come in. You were very…engrossed in your little activities." She looked at the floor and pushed herself off the wall.

"I waited 145 years for her…" I tried to explain.

"Only to find out that she played you." Miranda snapped. "She needed you for her little game; she chewed you up and then spit you out when you weren't useful anymore."

"You don't need to rub it in," I pleaded. I didn't want this from Miranda; she was understanding and compassionate.

"Don't I? We don't need a repeat of what happened last time you found out she betrayed you." I walked across the room and poured myself a drink, downing the entire thing before refilling my glass.

"Are you just going to stand there?" I asked. I looked over at her and saw her watching me, her eyes filled with emotion. She sighed, crossing her arms and laughing lightly. She forced a smile and her head tilted slightly to the left.

"Did you just…play me? Like Katherine played you?" she asked. "All this…all of the kissing and being nice and acting like you wanted to protect me; you were just playing with me. Using me so I would help you." She didn't say it like it was a question. I stayed silent, wondering how she could think those things.

"If that's the truth, I don't want to see you anymore," she said, turning around and walking towards the door.

"Wait," I called out. Miranda stopped in her tracks; that nagging voice was right. I wanted her, not Katherine; I _needed_ her. She was there before Katherine, and she was here now; she was standing right in front of me and she was going to walk away if I didn't do something.

I needed to tell her; I needed to say it. Familiar words popped into my head: I'm in love with you again. I love you, Miranda…I will always love you.

"I like you, Miranda."

"Excuse me?" she asked, turning around and staring at me like I had grown a second head. Maybe this would work. I ran over to her, causing her to jump in surprise. Her eyes were wide and they were darting left and right as she stared into mine. Those eyes…

"I wasn't playing with you, Miranda." I stated. "Why would you think that?"

"I don't know what to think anymore," she replied. "All of the crap that I deal with…it's eating away at me."

"You're the only one who can help me deal with all this Katherine bullshit." I stated. "I like you…like you like you…and I can't have you go again. I need you here with me."

I took her hand in mine and she pulled it away immediately, taking a step back. She shook her head and then turned and ran, leaving me alone. I turned my head and saw my one faithful companion: Mr. Booze.

* * *

Elena walked out of her bathroom and jumped in surprise when she saw me sitting on my bed. I was staring straight ahead blankly at the wall.

"Oh god," she gasped. "You scared me."

"I'm just doing my part; neighborhood watch."

"Thanks for looking out for us," she said.

"That's me, the trusted bodyguard; I'm calm in crisis." I slurred.

"You've been drinking?" she asked, and I raised my hand, gesturing a little bit with my thumb and index finger. "And you're upset, that's not a good combination."

"No I'm not upset. Upset is an emotion specific to those who care."

"Come on Damon. That's a lie."

"What did I do wrong, Elena?" I asked.

"What are you talking about?" she asked in return.

"Katherine and I…and then Miranda saw us." I began. "But…I hurt her. I've hurt her so many times and I need to stop. I tried to explain it to her…I tried to tell her but it came out wrong."

"What did you do Damon?" Elena asked.

"Miranda saw me kissing Katherine."

"What?"

"She heard me practically declaring my love for Katherine. The look in Miranda's eyes Elena…the look in her eyes when she asked me if I've been using her…" I sighed. "I don't want to see that look in her eyes ever again."

"Then why did you do it?" Elena asked. I quickly got up and put my hands on Elena's shoulders.

"I don't know," I growled, shaking her. "I love her, Elena, and I'm too much of a coward to tell her."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Tell me how to fix this," I said. "You're the one who wanted me to tell Miranda how I felt. Tell me what I did wrong."

"Damon, I—"

"Tell me what I did wrong!"

"Everything!" Elena exclaimed. "You have to fix this by yourself!"

"Elena, what's going on in here," Jeremy asked, walking in.

"Nothing Jeremy, it's okay, just go back to bed." Elena said.

"No, it's not okay Elena," I stated, feeling a pain in my chest. I looked over at Jeremy. "He wants to be a vampire." I ran toward him and pinned him against the wall, holding his neck in my hands.

"No, Damon, stop it!"

"You want to turn off the pain? It's the easiest thing in the world. The part of you that cares just goes away," I whispered. "All you have to do is flip the switch and snap!"

"Damon!" Elena yelled, but she was too late. I snapped Jeremy's neck, killing him, and let him fall to the floor.

"No!" Elena screamed. I backed out of the room and Elena looked up at me, tears in her eyes. If she wasn't going to help me…if I didn't get to have Miranda…I didn't care about them anymore.

I left Elena's house and looked down the street at Miranda's house, seeing the lights off and the driveway empty. I ran home, hoping that she hadn't just abandoned me again.

I walked inside the boarding house and into the living room; I threw my jacket onto a chair violently. I picked up my glass from the table; I thought about what I would do if Miranda left again. I looked at the glass and threw it at the fireplace, causing it to shatter into a million shards as it hit mantle.

This was Katherine's fault; if I lost Miranda again, I would kill her.

**A/N: I hope it was good; let me know what you think. **


	25. Carnival of Terror

** Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

It was late when I got back home; I had driven as far as I could with what was left in my gas tank, and then found a gas station and drove back to Mystic Falls. I carefully placed my painting next to the door, along with a few shopping bags; the light from the dining room glowed from the end of the hallway. I dropped my purse on the floor and walked silently down the hall.

I stepped into the dining room and a low growl emanated from my chest; as if my night couldn't get worse.

"Hello Miranda," Katherine stated. "Sorry I didn't come and visit you first…I wanted to say hello to our two favorite brothers first. But you already knew that didn't you?"

"Uh huh," I replied. I crossed my arms over my chest and kept the urge to kill back for as long as I could.

She lifted up a blood bag from the table. "Found this in the fridge…along with all your human food. I remember when I met you; sweet little Miranda...she won't touch anything but fresh human blood."

"I remember when I met you," I imitated. "Bitter little Katherine…the one I should have killed while I had the chance."

"Too bad we can't go back in time and relive the good old days," Katherine replied. "How many things we would change."

"Why are you here Katherine?"

"In Mystic Falls?"

"In my house," I snapped.

"No reason…just a friendly visit." She shrugged. She stood up and placed her hands on the back of the chair she had been sitting on.

"We're not friends." I undid the two braids I put my hair in earlier and waited for Katherine to speak. This was her game, not mine; she was the one who was going to play it, and I was the one who was going to win…when I drove a stake through her heart.

"Damon and Miranda. Boy meets girl and they fall in love; girl turns out to be a vampire. Boy tries to kill girl…then they break each other's hearts. I'm glad I was a part of such an epic tale.

"It's so sweet to see that he still wants you. Even tonight, when he was kissing me—wanting me to be in love with him—he was still thinking about you…he still cares about you. He's falling fast…if he isn't already in love with you, that is. And you're falling too.

"I saw your face earlier; it was the same face you made the day you left Mystic Falls in 1864. The heartbroken, stony, emotionless face; it's the one that you're wearing right now. The girl who murdered her family has emotions…who knew?"

Katherine smirked and I just lost it. I ran for her and caught her before she could even blink; I pushed her against the wall, slamming her face into it and causing her to scream in pain. I pulled her off of the wall by the back of her jacket and easily tossed her across the room like she was a ragdoll.

"You ruined my life, Katherine." I said as she got up from the ground and wiped blood from the corner of her mouth.

"I did a great job, didn't I?" she asked proudly. I quickly ran and stood in front of her.

"I would watch out if I were you," I began. "One day, you might just have to drink from humans out of a crazy straw." The smirk faded from Katherine's face and she slowly raised a hand up to her mouth in question. I nodded and backed off.

"You wouldn't," she scoffed.

"Are you going to stick around and find out?" I asked.

In a split second, she was gone. I laughed and picked up the blood bag on the table and tossed it in the garbage; who knows what she could have done to it.

* * *

I spent two straight days inside, reading and working on little projects; I didn't want to see anyone because I was sure I would kill them if I did. Eventually, I felt good enough to leave the house.

I opened the front door, juggling the things in my hands, and rolled my eyes when I saw Damon leaning against the porch rail. I didn't want to see him…not right now. Katherine's words were burning in my mind. _"__He's falling fast…and you're falling too."_

"As if your 20 phone calls over the last two days weren't enough, now you've become a stalker as well," I stated.

"Well hello to you too." He replied, smirking.

"If I hadn't walked outside, were you ever going to ring the doorbell?" I asked, turning to lock the door.

"Nope," he said. "Don't think so."

"You're such a weirdy," I remarked.

"Big news," Damon said excitedly. "You're talking to the new head of the Founder's Council."

"Good for you," I stated sarcastically. I tossed my purse onto the porch swing as I put my jacket on. Damon walked behind me and helped me put it on when I had trouble putting my arm in the other sleeve.

"I'm scheming, do you want in or am I going to need to find another accomplice?" he asked.

"Sorry, I have better things to do."

"Like what?"

"Elena asked me to help her and Bonnie with the school carnival since Caroline is in the hospital. Something about balloons animals and fried food…I wasn't paying attention; I was putting away my nail gun."

"Been busy, have we?" he asked. I put my hair up in a messy ponytail with the hair tie I had around my wrist.

"I was fixing my patio stairs in the backyard," I shrugged. "Minor details."

He turned me around and ran his hands across my shoulders and down my seductively. I pushed him away from me and grabbed my purse before walking down the stairs to the driveway. I immediately stopped when I saw that his car was parked behind mine, blocking me from leaving.

"You've gotta be kidding me," I sighed. I looked over at Damon's smirking face. "I hate you."

"Uh huh, sure you do," he replied, laughing slightly.

"Just kick it into gear before I run it over," I said, walking over to my car and getting into the driver's seat. I looked out the window and watched Damon just stay still, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked at me with a smoldering gaze.

I just shrugged and turned the car on, and rolled down the window. "Move it or lose it," I threatened. He just shook his head, so I revved the engine a few times.

"You don't scare me, Miranda," Damon exclaimed.

"I should," I stated. "I used to eradicate towns from the face of the earth for fun; one car is just a drop in the well."

"Oh really," he stated. "What changed?"

"I grew up," I replied. "Unfortunately, I've been finding myself sinking into old habits. Are you going to take a risk?"

Damon smirked and then walked over to his car and after a few seconds, he backed out of my driveway and drove off, waving goodbye out of the open driver's window. I rolled my eyes and then headed to the school.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I drove around the block a few times before going back to Miranda's house and sneaking inside through the garage. I needed her to stop being so cold; I could deal with sarcastic Miranda, but not pissed Miranda.

The dining room table had been cleared of picture frames and knickknacks; books, road atlases for various European countries, a bunch of legal pads, and were scattered around. I picked up one of the legal pads and examined it carefully. I recognized the handwriting as Miranda's, but the language she wrote in was weird. Some of the words look vaguely familiar, but the rest were completely foreign. I tossed the pad down and looked around at the rest of the things on the table.

"What do we have here?" I asked myself. I had moved some books and maps aside and found a polished wooden jewelry box and a flat package wrapped in plain brown paper. I lifted the lid and was stunned at what I saw. Earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings and other pieces of jewelry; some of them were old and tarnish, others were polished and shining. It was like a time machine inside of a box; each piece was from a different era, and was a different style because of that.

I closed the lid and moved the box so I could look at the package. I figured it was the painting she went to go get a few days ago before she saw Katherine and I together at the boarding house.

I pulled at the strings that were tied over the brown paper, tossing them to the ground, before I peeled the paper away. It was a portrait of Miranda, and although she was instantly recognizable, there was an imperfection she had that could only be described as human.

Miranda stood in front of a river, holding a white lace parasol in her hand to shade her from the sun. She wore an elaborate seafoam-colored dress and around her neck was a matching lace choker. Miranda's hair was pinned up, except for a few rogue curls that fell to the sides of her face.

Her skin wasn't deathly pale, like it was now, but was still fair; her cheeks and nose were rosy, indicating it was cold outside. Her lips were painted a light red, and she was smiling slightly. The artist clearly was a genius, because he captured her soulful green eyes perfectly. She looked so…enigmatic; it was like seeing a ghost and as her eyes stared at me…they stared right through me.

Suddenly, I became guilty for my actions. Not only had I snuck into her house while she wasn't home, but I had invaded her privacy by looking at things that Miranda probably thought of as sentimental and special. I quickly wrapped the painting back up, tying the string and placing the jewelry box and the maps back the way they were before I disturbed the room.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"I'm a little bit stressed; I don't want to disappoint Caroline with the carnival." Elena vented as I helped her put rubber ducks into the water at the Duck Pond game.

"How's she doing?" I asked, squishing a duck until it squeaked.

"Better…I don't really know. Damon's blood got her past the roughest parts, but now the doctor is just keeping her for observation. Matt said she's getting discharged tomorrow morning." She replied.

"Well that's good," I said cheerfully; I stood up and examined the tub. "I think that's enough ducks…they might die of overpopulation if we put any more in." Elena laughed and stood up too.

"People are starting to be let in, so I better go find Bonnie and make sure everything's ready." she said. "Thanks for your help, Miranda. I really appreciate it; I know you haven't left your house in a few days…" she trailed off.

"Don't worry about it," I said. "I'm always happy to help out." Elena smiled and then walked away, looking down at her clipboard.

It was just starting to get dark outside and the lights from all the rides and stands were being turned on. I fixed my cutoffs and boots before dusting off my hands.

As I passed the House of Mirrors, I turned my head and saw my reflection in one of the mirrors; my eyes focused on a person who was standing behind me, watching me. My eyes widened as I recognized and I immediately turned around.

"Shit," I breathed out when I saw no one there. I ran my fingers through my bangs and looked around. I couldn't be hallucinating, could I? I shook my head and kept walking.

Eventually I found myself getting on the Tilt-a-Whirl; my boot heels made a metallic clicking sound as I walked towards one of the cars. I felt someone grab my hand and I turned to see a smirking Damon standing there.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" I asked.

"Because we need to talk," he replied.

"Oh really?" I pulled away from him and crossed my arms. "What about?"

"You know _what_, Miranda." He stated menacingly. The ride attendant walked over to us and smiled.

"You're either going to have to take a seat or leave; I have to start the ride."

Damon grabbed my arm, pushing me into the car and sat down next to me; he put his arm around me and smirked. The ride started up and we started moving slowly.

"This is intimate, isn't it?" he asked.

"So you wanted to talk?" I asked.

"Yes, but hold that thought." He grabbed the bar with his other hand and made it spin incredibly fast. A giggle escaped from my mouth and I clamped my hand over it before Damon could see me smiling.

"Got you to laugh," he said victoriously.

"Shut up," I replied, slapping his chest.

"I don't like it when you're angry, Miranda," Damon began. "It isn't you."

"It's actually _very_ me…I just choose my moments well."

"Whatever. Let's have fun again; the frowny face you have around me doesn't let us have fun." He said. "I want a truce."

"A truce?" I asked.

"Yes, a truce; let's just…I'll say I'm sorry and then we can go back to being friends. I missed annoying you for two days."

"I'm sure you could find someone else to be a jackass to," I replied.

"It's not as fun when I annoy Stefan or Elena; you're cute when you threaten people. It's like seeing a Care Bear get mad."

"Ha-ha. You're so funny."

"Come on; I need your help with this Lockwood thing. There is something up with them; the mayor, his brother, his son…they're all off. You like all the super-sleuthing; this could be fun!"

"Fine," I sighed, giving in.

"Good," Damon smiled and kissed my cheek.

"I still don't want you stalking me."

"Answer your phone and I won't have too."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"You killed Jeremy Gilbert?" Miranda asked as we watched Tyler Lockwood arm wrestles a bunch of kids one by one. "Like…he's dead?"

"Well, he's not dead." I scoffed. "He had John Gilbert's ring and he came back to life; Stefan wouldn't let me hear the end of it the next day."

"Serves you right," Miranda laughed. "What made you kill him anyways?"

"He pissed me off," I replied quickly. "He even threatened to tell people what I am when I saw him earlier. I put him in his place."

"Can I suggest anger management?"

"He was being cocky," I explained. "Thinking he can do anything just because the ring can bring him back to life."

Just as Tyler started with another kid, Stefan walked up to us.

"You're lurking," he said.

"We're observing," I replied.

"More like obsessing." Tyler slammed the kid's fist into the table.

"He's got strength." I said.

"He's a triple varsity athlete; of course he has strength." Stefan replied. I rolled my eyes and watched as Mason walked in and approached Tyler.

"Enter the uncle," I said.

"This is ridiculous," Stefan sighed. Tyler struggled against Mason for a few seconds before Mason won, laughing.

"Who wants to go next?" Tyler asked.

"Stefan wants to go," I called out. Both Lockwood's looked over at us and Miranda laughed.

"Yeah, sure…I'll give it a shot," Stefan said reluctantly. Stefan walked over and Tyler watched them. "My brother over there thinks I can beat you."

Mason looked over at us as Tyler laughed. "Well your brother's wrong."

"Five bucks says Mason loses," I bet Miranda.

"Make it ten," Miranda replied, looking at me.

"Deal," I said, looking back at Stefan and Mason as the bell rang. There was a struggle for a few seconds, and then Mason slammed Stefan's arm into the table. I scoffed and rolled my eyes as Stefan walked back over.

"You didn't put in any effort at all."

"Yeah, actually, I did," Stefan replied grimly. Oh, that wasn't good; if Stefan couldn't beat him with _enhanced vampire strength_, then there was definitely something going on.

"Come with me," I said. The three of us walked down the hall to a spot with less people. "Is he…"

"No, I wasn't that kind of strength but it was more than human, it doesn't make sense."

"What is up with that family?" I exclaimed.

"They're not vampires," Miranda said.

"Then what the hell are they?" I asked.

"Maybe they're ninja turtles," Stefan offered.

"You're not funny," I chastised.

"Or zombies…werewolves."

"No comedic timing at all," I muttered. I looked around and saw a guy working on some speakers.

"What are you up to?" Miranda asked.

"Since this is reality and there's no such thing as werewolves or…combat turtles," I began, but Stefan interrupted me.

"Ninja turtles."

"Whatever," I stated and walked over to the guy. "Hey, you!"

"I have a name," he scoffed.

"Yea, I don't care." I grabbed his shoulders and looked him in the eye to compel him. "I need you to pick a fight with someone, a kid named Tyler Lockwood."

"Oh, Damon, no," Miranda protested.

"Don't do this," Stefan said.

"It's just an experiment," I waved them off and continued. "Get him mad, but don't back down no matter what he does ok?"

"I won't back down," the guy said in a dazed tone.

"I know you won't," I smirked and let him go.

"Do you realize someone is going to get hurt right?" Stefan asked.

"No, someone is going to get mad, as in rage," I replied.

"What good is that going to do?" Miranda asked.

"That Tyler kid is incapable of walking away from a fight. Let's see who intervenes, maybe the ambiguous, supernatural mystery uncle." Stefan shook his head and walked away. I looked at Miranda who was shaking her head.

"I don't like this; what if someone gets killed? People in a blind rage can do anything."

"You worry _way_ too much. Come on," I said, grabbing he hand. "We have a fight to watch." I pulled her through the crowd of people and down the empty halls of the school.

"Caught you staring at Mason," I teased.

"He has a creepy vibe," Miranda said.

"Well, now we're going to see why his vibe is so creepy." We turned down another hall to get back outside and I heard a third set of footsteps following us. I turned around and saw Caroline standing there.

"Hey Caroline," Miranda greeted with a smile.

"Did they let you out?" I asked. I turned back around and pulled Miranda with me.

"I remember," Caroline said. I let go of Miranda's hand and turned around.

"What do you remember?" I sighed.

"I remember how you manipulated me, you pushed me around, abused me, erased my memories, fed on me."

"You're crazy," I scoffed.

"Memories have been coming back, in pieces." I took a step closer to Caroline.

"Oh, this isn't good," Miranda muttered.

"You can't remember. It's impossible; I mean, unless you're becoming a…" I trailed off when Caroline smiled slyly.

"I have a message from Katherine," Caroline stated. "She said "Game on."" She turned to leave and I grabbed her shoulder to stop her.

"Wait…" She turned around and pushed me away, causing be go flying backwards. Something cushioned my fall as I hit the ground.

"You suck," Caroline exclaimed before walking away quickly.

"Damon Salvatore, get off me," I heard Miranda wheeze. I quickly stood up and saw her laying on the floor; her hair and clothes disheveled from me landing on her.

"Sorry," I said, helping her stand up. "You should have moved." She dusted herself off a bit and pulled her hair out of the ponytail it was in.

"This…this is not good," Miranda sighed.

"Don't I know it," I replied.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I waited in Alaric's classroom for Damon to get back with Stefan and Elena. This wasn't good; I knew something like this would happen when I heard that Damon gave Caroline blood to help her heal.

"Did you see her?" Elena asked me as the three of them walked in.

"Yeah," I nodded. "It's true."

"How did this happen?" Stefan asked. Damon walked over to Alaric's desk and leaned against it.

"Well, I fed her blood and Katherine obviously killed her, and A plus B equals…"

"But why?"

"Because Katherine is a manipulative, nasty little slut."

"I could have told you that a long time ago," I replied, walking over to the globe in the corner and spinning it.

"And she said "game on"? What is that even mean?" Stefan asked.

"It means she's playing dirty, and she wants us to know." Damon replied.

"But why Caroline?" Elena asked.

"It was convenient," I replied. "She was already in the hospital and had the blood in her system. It was an easy kill." Elena gave me a look. "Sorry, but it's true."

"Caroline must be completely out of her mind; she don't even know what's happening to her." Stefan said.

"Oh I think she does. All of my compulsion from the past was sort of wearing off the minute she was in transition," Damon replied.

"We have to find her," Stefan said.

"Yep and kill her." Damon added.

"You're not gonna kill Caroline," Elena said.

"She knows who we are, she's officially a liability, and we've got to get rid of her."

"I agree with Damon," I said. "She'll probably make a stupid mistake anyways and then we'll all end up dead."

"No guys, absolutely not."

"Need I remind you of a tragic little story of a girl named Vicki Donovan?" Damon started. "Yeah, Caroline of all people will not make it as a vampire; her mother is a vampire hunter. Guys, come on, we all know what the story is so let's just flip to the last chapter and-"

"It's not an option," Elena snapped.

"No?" Damon asked. "Your silence is deafening, Stefan. Wasn't there a school carnival the night that you staked Vicki? Talk about a town where history repeats itself."

"We're not going to kill her," Stefan said, grabbing Elena's hand and walking out of the room.

"Well," Damon sighed. "If Saint Stefan declares it, it must be law."

"She's going to do something stupid," I said. "She has no control."

"Let's go," Damon got up and walked over to me. "Maybe we can find her and…talk."

"Talk?" I asked. "What's that going to do?"

"We're not going to talk," Damon replied slowly. "We're going to "talk"."

"Oh," I said in realization. "Alright let's go."

We walked outside and Damon looked around for something to kill Caroline with.

"Got it," he said, walking over to one of the tents and pulling one of the tent stakes out of the ground.

"That isn't safe," I said as he walked back over to me.

"Is a crazy, emotionally unstable vampire any safer?" Damon asked.

"Point taken." I took a deep breath and caught the scent of blood. "Do you smell that?" I asked. Damon took a deep breath as well.

"Yep, let's go," he said. We walked out of the carnival and over to a bunch of trailers. Caroline was sitting on top of a platform trailer, sobbing. I eyed the body that was splayed out on the platform next to her; it was the guy that Damon compelled to fight Tyler.

"He's dead," she sobbed. "I killed him. What's wrong with me?" Her face was covered in his blood. I hopped onto the platform next to her and put my arm around her shoulder; she leaned her head on mine and continued crying.

"It's ok," I whispered. "Shh, it's ok."

"We can help you," Damon added.

"You can?" Caroline asked, hope in her voice.

"Yeah," Damon nodded. "I have to."

"What are you gonna do?"

"The only thing I can do," Damon smiled. "I'm gonna kill you." Caroline jumped off the platform and backed away from us.

"Please don't, I don't want to die," she sobbed.

"But you're already dead, Caroline." I informed her.

"No I'm not," she exclaimed. "Don't say that. Ok? Just help me!"

"Ok," Damon nodded.

"Just help me, please! Please, please!" She pleaded. Damon hugged her and raised his hand to stake her.

"It's the only way," he whispered. Suddenly, Damon was pushed away and the stake was on the ground. Stefan and Elena stood there. I jumped off the platform and grabbed the stake off the ground.

"Stefan!" Damon exclaimed in annoyance.

"Get away from me," Caroline screamed, pushing Elena away. "You killed me."

"No, no, Caroline! That wasn't me; you know that. That was Katherine," Elena replied

"No, then why did she look like you?" Caroline asked. "And why…why did she do this to me?"

"Stefan, we've got to get her inside," Elena stated.

"It's alright Caroline," Stefan said, backing up and grabbing Caroline's hand. "Come with me."

"She'll die," Damon said. "It's only a matter of time."

"Yeah, but it's not gonna happen tonight."

"Oh yeah it is," Damon smirked and grabbed the stake from my hands. He rushed over to them and almost got Caroline but Elena stood in front of her. She gasped when she saw the stake.

"Damon, she's my friend," Elena pleaded.

"Whatever happens," Damon sighed and dropped the stake. "It's on you."

I walked over to one of the trailers and opened the doors. Hammers, tarps, rope…shovels; BINGO! I grabbed one and turned to see Damon standing right there.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"We have to bury that guy." I replied. "I don't think anyone's going to be happy if they find him like that tomorrow morning." Damon sighed and nodded.

"What do you think Caroline's mom is going to say when she finds out?" he said. I shrugged and handed him the shovel.

I grabbed a tarp and then closed the doors; we walked back over to the trailer. Bonnie stood there crying and Elena was looking at the body.

"I can't believe this is happening," Bonnie muttered.

"Come on, don't pout about it, I've got a body to bury." Damon replied. "I thought you were calling the shots…no?" He said to Elena. I was about to drape the tarp over the body, when I heard Damon start screaming in agony. I looked up and saw Bonnie staring at him; he held his head and then fell to the ground. She turned on a hose with her mind and kept staring at Damon.

"I told you what would happen if anyone else got hurt," she said menacingly.

"I didn't do this," Damon groaned.

"Bonnie, it wasn't his fault." Elena protested.

"Everything that happens is his fault," Bonnie replied.

"He didn't do anything," I yelled. Bonnie ignited a fire using the water that had come from the hose.

Damon's pants set on fire and he began struggling to put them out. I was about to run over to help him, but I felt a small numbing sensation in my head; I tried walking and it was like brain couldn't function.

"Bonnie, stop it right now!" I screamed. "It isn't going to change anything; let me help him!"

"Bonnie," Elena exclaimed. She jumped over the fire, and shook Bonnie. The fire went out and I was able to run over to Damon and help him put out what was left of the fire. He stayed on the ground as Elena and Bonnie walked away.

"Are you ok?" I asked.

"Yeah," he nodded, out of breath. "I'm going to kill that witch."

"Uh huh," I giggled and helped him off the ground. "Let's go."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"If I asked you out, what would you say?" I asked Miranda as I changed my shirt. She was sitting on my bed, doing something with her phone. I heard "this number is no longer in service" a few times, and figured she tried to call someone who didn't want to talk anymore.

"No," she replied after a few seconds.

"No?" I asked. "Why?"

"I don't do that; I'm over the "going steady" thing," she shrugged. I picked up the glass of blood Miranda had gotten for me and finished what was left of it.

Miranda jumped off of my bed and walked toward the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked following her as she went down the hall.

"Home," she replied. "You don't need me here anymore; you've got your blood and your booze. Besides, I haven't slept in a three days." I caught her once she reached the sitting room and turned her to face me.

"You haven't slept in three days?" I asked. "Is that because of me?"

"Little bit," she replied with a shy smile.

"Are you mad at me…for kissing Katherine?" I asked.

"It's your life," she shrugged. "Your choices to make. I just…it brought back some memories and I felt…played. Like this thing we're doing is a game."

"I'm sorry," I apologized. I moved her hair back from her eyes and smiled. "It isn't a game, you know. When I kiss you, I want to kiss you…I want you."

"Alright," she sighed with a smile. I stepped closer and put my hands on her hips.

"Do you trust me?" I asked and she nodded. "Good." Just as I leaned in to kiss her, she smirked.

"Hello Jeremy," she greeted. I let her go and turned around to see Jeremy standing by the doorway, watching us. I rolled my eyes and walked over to the table to pour myself a drink.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked.

"You don't lock your front door," he replied. I poured a glass of scotch and I was about to drink it when Jeremy spoke.

"I wouldn't; I laced it with vervain," he said. I sniffed it and then put the glass down, annoyed.

"And why would you do that?" I asked.

"So I could stake you…" he pulled what looked like a stake from his pocket and then threw it to the ground. "With this."

"You want to kill him?" Miranda asked.

"It's only fair," Jeremy replied. "He killed me first." I bent down and picked up the oddly shaped stake before walking and sitting on the couch.

"What made you wisen up?" I asked. Miranda rushed over and sat next to me.

"My father hated vampires; my uncle too. They were absolute, they knew exactly what they stood for and I figured maybe I should too. I mean, stand for something; but killing you, what's that gonna do?"

"Look, I don't do the big brother thing very well. Sorry, I don't have any milk and cookies to offer you." I replied.

"Dick!" Jeremy exclaimed and got up to leave

"Wait," I stopped him. "My father hated vampires too."

"He did?"

"For the same reasons your dad did. Only it was 1864."

"And people knew how to whittle," Miranda said. "Gimme that." She took the stake out of my hand and examined it.

"Did you do this?" I asked.

"Yeah I tried; it's harder than it looks." Jeremy replied. "I'm gonna go. Good night." As soon as he was out the door, I took the stake from Miranda's hands and tossed it into the fire.

"Where were we?" I asked.

"Uh…I was going to go home." Miranda smirked, getting up. "Good night."

"Good night." I leaned back against the couch and suddenly Miranda was right there leaning over me. She smiled and pressed a soft kiss against my lips before vanishing; I smiled.

Step 1- Get her to forgive me…Check.

**A/N: There you go! Let me know how it was. Reviews are always appreciated! More to come soon…**


	26. Impossible Creatures and History 101

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

_I turned over onto my side, burrowing deeper into the light blankets of my bed; I felt the sun hit my face, warming it. A cool breeze moved through my room, and bird calls echoed against the stone walls. I opened my eyes and stared outside; the blue summer skies were like a beautiful void._

_ I yawned and got out of bed; the cream colored material of my nightdress dragged against the floor. I walked over to the open window and looked outside. The wind gently blew again and I stuck my arm out of the window to feel it; I closed my eyes and enjoyed the mixture of warm and cool._

_ The door opened and someone walked into my room. "You know, you're not allowed in here," I said._

_ "I wanted to see what you were dreaming of," Damon stated. "What is this place?"_

_ "This was home," I replied, smiling. I turned and looked at Damon. "This was the day I was killed."_

I inhaled deeply as I woke up; I opened my eyes and turned my head to find Damon lying next to me, propped up on his elbow so he was watching me. I felt a tear roll down my cheek and I quickly wiped it away.

"Do you know how hard it was to get inside your head?" he asked.

"Yep," I replied. "I told you I'm a vault."

"You might want to get ready soon; we're going to have a meeting with Alaric in an hour."

"Alright," I yawned. "I'm up." I kicked myself up and out of bed, walking over to my bathroom.

"Cute pj's," Damon called out.

"Go to hell," I replied.

* * *

"Your brother's a stalker," I told Stefan as I sat down on the couch next to him and Elena at the boarding house.

"What did he do?" Stefan asked; he looked over at Damon. "What did you do?"

"Nothing, Miranda's overreacting," Damon scoffed as he poured himself a drink. The doorbell rang and Damon went to open it; Alaric walked in with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Thanks for coming Rick," Stefan greeted.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Damon asked as they walked into the sitting room. "Bourbon, coffee? Bourbon in your coffee?"

"Elena mentioned you needed my help." He replied as he sat down on the couch across from us.

"Yeah, we were hoping you could shed some light on the Lockwood family," Stefan said.

"Now, why would I know anything about the Lockwood's?" Rick asked.

"Well, you wouldn't," Damon replied. "But your dead-not-dead vampire wife might."

"Isobel's research from when you guys were at Duke together," Elena added.

"You said she had spent years researching this town," Stefan said.

"Isobel's research here in Mystic Falls rooted in folk lore and legend, but at the time I thought most of it was fiction."

"Like the legends about vampires," I suggested.

"Right," Rick nodded.

"Aside from vampires, what else?" Elena asked.

"The lycanthrope."

"Wait?" Elena asked. "Like werewolves." Oh damn; not werewolves. I had always hoped that the werewolf myths were just that, myths.

"No way, impossible." Damon denied. "Way too Lon Chaney."

"Is it?" Stefan asked.

"I've been on this planet one hundred and sixty some odd years, never came across one. If werewolves exist, where the hell are they?" Damon replied.

"Why do you suspect the Lockwood's?" Rick asked.

"Vervain didn't affect the mayor on Founder's Day," I replied.

"But the Gilbert device did, and it affected his son, Tyler," Damon continued.

"And at the school carnival, his uncle Mason exhibited inhuman behavior when he fought one of the carnival workers." Stefan added. "It suggested some kind of supernatural entity."

"We were hoping that Isobel's research could help us figure out what it is."

"Well," Rick sighed. "All her things are still at Duke. I mean, her office is still there, and she's technically still missing."

"So we can get access to it?" I asked. "Do a little super sleuthing?"

"Well…" Rick shrugged.

"Rick, we need to know what were dealing with," Damon stated. "If this wolf man thing is true, I've seen enough movies to know it's not good. It means Mason Lockwood is a real life Lon Chaney, and that Tyler punk may just very well be Lon Chaney junior, which means Bela Lugosi—meaning me—is totally screwed."

"Fine," Rick sighed. "I'll make a few phone calls, and then we have to get on the road right away."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"How can you just sit there and do that for fifteen minutes straight?" I asked. I had been watching Miranda put her hair into messy, braided pigtails as she sat on the hood of Alaric's SUV.

"It's a girl thing, you wouldn't understand," she replied.

"What's in the bag," I asked, pointing to the beaten up backpack sitting next to her.

"Stuff," she replied.

"I get that its stuff…what kind of stuff?"

"None-of-your-business stuff," she smiled.

"Miranda," I stated in a warning tone. Miranda rolled her eyes.

"Why is this important?" she asked.

"I like to mess with you," I laughed.

"Jackass. What's taking them so long?" She hopped off of the hood and reached into the car through the open window, honking the horn twice. Rick walked out of Elena's house and got into the driver's seat.

"Patience is a virtue," I scolded playfully.

"Look who's talking," she replied, opening the door to the backseat and getting in. I rolled my eyes and got into the passenger's seat as Stefan and Elena walked outside.

"Sorry you can't come too, Stef," I said.

"Call me if you need anything," he said to Elena. He looked into the backseat. "Miranda, make sure nothing happens to her."

"You know _I'm _right here," I stated.

"I'm capable of responsibility," Miranda replied. "You…not so much."

"Whatever, time to go." I said. Rick started the car and Elena got in, kissing Stefan through the open window. Stefan stepped back from the car and Rick pulled away from the curb.

After about an hour of driving in silence, save for some chatter from Miranda and Elena in the backseat, Rick turned on the radio; I stared out of the window and watched the scenery roll by.

"How are you two doing back there?" I asked. I heard Miranda take a breath so she could say something, but then Elena muttered "don't say anything" and she stopped.

"You're even getting Miranda to side with you and shun me? This hating me thing is getting a little silly."

"You _did_ kill her brother," Alaric said.

"There is a huge asterisk next to that statement: he came back to life." I replied.

"Yeah, thanks to a ring you didn't know he was wearing," Elena sneered.

"Why are you so sure I didn't know?" I asked.

"Did you?" Miranda asked. Well, no, but I wasn't going to tell Elena that.

"Yes," I replied.

"You're lying," Elena said.

"Elena, I saw the ring!" I exclaimed. "It's a big, tacky thing; it's hard to miss."

"I think you hurt Rick's feelings," Miranda laughed. I saw Rick looking at his ring and shrugging.

"Ha-ha," Rick deadpanned. "Thanks Miranda."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

When we got to Duke, we followed Rick around as he talked. I had left my bag in the car, since I doubted I would need it.

"So Isobel was officially employed by the anthropology department given that most paranormal phenomenon is rooted in folklore." he explained; a woman looked over at us. "Excuse me, hi. I'm Alaric Saltzman, I called earlier."

"Yes, of course. I'm Vanessa Monroe, research assistant; comparative folklore. Let me just grab Isobel's keys." She looked over at Damon, Elena and I strangely.

"These are my friends; Damon, Miranda and Elena. I hope this isn't too much of an imposition." Rick said.

"Oh, please." She replied shyly. "Isobel's office is right through there. She was one of my first professors; I'm a grad student. She was brilliant and one of the reasons I went into folklore; I have to ask," she paused. "Has there been any news?"

"No," Rick replied. "I'm afraid not." Vanessa nodded and walked over to the door to open it.

"Right this way," she said. We all walked into the office and I looked around at all the books and knick knacks were placed around the room. "I'll just grab the light; feel free to look around." She smiled and left. I walked over to the bookshelf and looked at the titles of various books.

"Where'd she go?" Damon asked. We all looked around and she walked back in with a crossbow and pointed it at Elena. As soon as she pulled the trigger, Damon jumped in front of her, getting hit with the arrow in the process. Damon fell to the ground and I ran to help him.

"Shit," Damon groaned. "Oh, that hurt."

"It's not bad…but it's not good," I said. Rick had taken Vanessa outside, and Elena stayed with us.

"Can you help me up?" he asked. I nodded and helped him stand up; he leaned against the desk. "Ok, now one of you two pull it out." Elena looked at the arrow and shook her head.

"Elena, come on," Damon said. "I can't reach it."

"I can't," she shook her head again.

"Miranda," he sighed. "Can you just—it hurts!" I rolled my eyes and yanked it out for him. He inhaled sharply as it came out and then shivered.

"That bitch it dead," Damon breathed out.

"You're not gonna kill her," Elena replied. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.

"Watch me," Damon threatened.

"You touch her and I swear I'll never speak to you again."

"God, it's so tiring watching you two," I sighed. "We have something bigger to deal with right now." Elena nodded and she walked out of the office.

"Keeper of the peace?" Damon asked.

"No, keeper of my sanity," I replied. "It really is tiring."

"Well it's not my fault that Elena is mad at me," He shrugged

"It kinda is," I said. I grabbed his hand and tugged him out of the office and back to where Elena was with Rick and Vanessa.

"I'm Elena Gilbert, Isobel's daughter and a descendant of Katherine Pierce. And this is Damon Salvatore, who you just shot." Elena said.

"I'd be extra nice to me right now," Damon told Vanessa.

"We need your help," Elena continued. "We need to see all of Isobel's research; anything related to Mystic Falls."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

Miranda and I stood next to each other, looking through books; so far, I hadn't found anything werewolf related. Miranda had been looking though a dusty book for five minutes straight and hadn't said a word.

"Interesting read?" I asked.

"Uh…yeah." She replied. "Not about werewolves anything, but…still is interesting."

"What's it about?" I asked, looking over her shoulder. I only saw the word "murder" before she slammed the book shut and placed it on the desk.

"Nothing," she shrugged with a smile.

"Share with the group," I said. "It's show and tell time."

"It's just a story," she replied. "Fairy tales."

"Liar," I whispered.

"You'll never know," Miranda sing-songed.

"Does vervain really work?" I heard Vanessa ask Elena in the other room.

"Nope," I called out. "Not at all."

"Can he hear us?" she whispered.

"No, that would be creepy," I said in a stage whisper.

"Can he read minds too?"

"You know, if you want to see me naked, all you have to do is ask." I turned around and smirked. Miranda punched me in the arm and rolled her eyes.

"No, but he is very capable of being a first-rate jackass." Elena told Vanessa.

"Burn," Miranda whispered.

"Why don't you tell Elena about things you know about Katherine?" I asked.

"Why don't _you_?" Miranda asked in return. "I'm sure you know _something_."

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly Elena's BFF right now." I replied.

"Sorry," she shrugged, picking up a book. "Can't help you with that."

"Hey guys," Rick called out. "Come and check this out." Miranda and I walked out of the office and over to Rick, Vanessa and Elena.

"There's no record of werewolf mythology in Mystic Falls, but here are some records of some of the lesser known legends." Vanessa said, handing me a book. "The curse of the sun and the moon."

"It's Native American." Rick stated.

"Aztecs." She corrected. "It explains one origin of the werewolf curse traced through Virginia. The short story: 600 years ago, the Aztecs were plagued by werewolves and vampires. They terrorized the countryside—made farming and hunting impossible—until an Aztec shaman cursed them, making vampires slaves to the sun and werewolves servants of the moon. As a result, vampires could only prowl at night and werewolves could only turn on a full moon. When the full moon crests in the sky, who's ever unlucky enough to fall into the werewolf curse turns into a wolf."

"Can they control the transformation?" I asked.

"If it were a choice, it wouldn't be called a curse."

"Do they kill people?" Miranda asked, looking at the drawings in the book.

"Werewolves will attack humans but instinct and centuries of rivalry have hardwired them to hunt their prey of choice: vampires."

"Well, if werewolves were hunting vampires, I would know about it." I said.

"Not if they aren't many werewolves left alive. Hundreds of years ago vampires hunted them almost to extinction."

"Why would they do that?" Elena asked.

"To protect themselves. According to the legend, a werewolf bite is fatal to the vampires."

"Shit," Miranda muttered. "Not good."

"Tell me about it," I replied.

* * *

**Elena's POV**

"I don't know what that means, or if we should even believe it, but it's a full moon Stefan. And after what you saw Mason Lockwood do…" I trailed off as I talked to Stefan over the phone.

"I'll be careful," Stefan replied.

"There's one more thing."

"What is it?"

"According to legend, a werewolf bite can kill a vampire," I told him. He paused for a second and then sighed.

"Listen, I've got to go. I'll see you when you get home, ok?" he asked.

"Ok, bye." I said. I looked over at Miranda as she opened the door to the backseat and climbed inside. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…I'm just tired." she replied, picking up her bag and looking through it. "Needed to get away from all of the books and creatures lurking inside them." She smiled and pulled a pair of headphones out of the bag.

"Have you ever heard of this curse thing before Miranda?" I asked.

"I've heard about the vampire part of the curse; just stuff passed around by word of mouth. The werewolf part is scary though," she shivered and crossed her arms. "If Mason is a werewolf, and if there are more out there, then we better stay really alert."

"I thought you were—no offense—kinda old; you've never run into a werewolf before?"

"No, I've never come across one…or if I have, I never knew about it," Miranda sighed. "Have you found anything about Katherine yet?"

"Just some things in an old box," I said, running a hand through my hair. "Nothing I don't already know. Do _you_ know anything about Katherine?"

"I don't like talking about Katherine," she shrugged. "Besides, anything I know, you wouldn't be interested in."

"Are you sure?" I asked. She nodded and looked at her feet.

"I'm sorry if I wasn't any help, Elena," she replied, plugging the headphones into her phone and then placing the earbuds into her ears. "I'm just going to go back inside." She turned and walked away. I had a feeling she was lying to me.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"Hey, have you done any research on doppelgangers?" Elena asked. I looked up from the book I was skimming through and saw that Rick, Miranda and Vanessa were shocked at Elena's question as well.

"Well," Vanessa began. "The word means a lot of different things to different cultures, but typically a doppelganger is a living, breathing double of oneself."

"Did Isobel have anything that explains the link between me and Katherine?" Elena asked.

"That's all she had on Katherine, unfortunately." Vanessa replied. Elena looked over at me and I snapped my book shut and put it back on the shelf. "But I can tell you that doppelgangers usually torment the people they look like, trying to undo their lives; it's not exactly uplifting."

"And more things we already know," Elena sighed. "Just…I want to know why we look alike."

"Head scratcher, isn't it?" I asked.

"Do you know something, or are you just being yourself?" Elena replied.

"Well, if I know anything, I'm not gonna tell you with that attitude," I stated. Elena rolled her eyes and looked at me.

"That's good Damon, and this is coming from someone who wants to be my friend; you know what? Friends don't manipulate friends, they help each other." She turned and walked away. I looked over at Miranda, who was sitting across the room, reading from a small book and writing things down on a notepad. She rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the book.

I walked over to her and knelt down so we were face to face. "You know something about doppelgangers, don't you?" I asked.

"Maybe," she replied.

"Why are you keeping secrets?"

"Why are _you_?" she closed her book and looked at me. "Don't think I didn't see you take that book off the shelf."

"What book?"

"The Petrova book," she replied. "You're going to use it to get Elena to forgive you, right?"

"Can you read minds?" I asked. Miranda smiled and shook her head.

"Unfortunately, it isn't one of my numerous talents."

"It's getting late guys," Rick called over to us. "We're going to leave soon." Miranda stood up and walked over to the bookshelf to put her book away.

I took Rick's keys from his pocket and walked outside so I could give the book to Elena.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

The ride home was quiet. Elena held the Petrova book to her chest protectively, as if it was going to run away. I felt bad about lying to her; I knew plenty of things about Katherine, but they rehashed parts of my life I wanted to forget.

My phone vibrated and I pulled it out of my pocket, and saw I had a text. _You look hot with a pensive look on your face._ I looked up and kicked the back of the passenger's seat; Damon chuckled and I rolled my eyes.

When Rick parked outside Elena's house, I got out and walked across the street to my house. I unlocked the door and went straight up to my room. I opened the light and flopped onto my bed, lying on my back and looking at the ceiling.

_There was a knock on the door and I kept looking outside. The door opened and my mother walked in._

_ "Miranda," she said quietly. "Your father wishes to speak with you."_

_ "It's such a beautiful morning, isn't it mother?" I asked, turning and looking at her. She had a depressing look on her face. I stepped away from the window and walked over to her, placing my hands on her shoulders. "What's wrong; why are you upset?"_

_ "It's nothing, my dear," she replied with a forced smile. "I was just thinking."_

_ "You think far too much," I laughed. "Let your mind take a break once in a while, mother. Enjoy the beauty that life brings."My mother's expression became a mixture of happiness and sadness._

_ "My dear daughter, so wise and beautiful; you are truly a gift from the heavens," she said. "Now it's time to get ready; your father is waiting to talk to you."_

"Bed time already?" Damon asked, causing me to break from my thoughts. I took a ragged breath and wiped away a stray tear from my cheek.

"What is it?" I asked, seeing the sadness in his eyes. "What happened?"

"Nothing," he replied. "It's Elena…she—well, she knew I killed Jeremy without knowing he had the Gilbert ring; she used me to get information on Katherine. Then she said our friendship is pretty much over."

"You deserve it," I stated. "I would be super pissed if you killed my brother."

"I thought your brother is dead." He said, leaning against the wall.

"He is; I meant it hypothetically." Damon nodded and looked across the room to the painting that was propped against the wall.

"You looked different when you were human," he stated with a small smile. "Maybe because I'm so used to seeing you as a vampire."

"I wasn't human," I replied.

"What?" he asked, skeptically. "That's impossible."

"I compelled the artist to paint me to look human. I was curious; I don't remember what I looked like when I was alive."

"That's weird," he commented. "You're weird."

"So I've been told," I groaned.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I sighed, closing my eyes. "It's been a long day; I was actually thinking before you invaded my home for the second time today."

"Thinking is a bad thing," he replied. I felt the bed dip down beside me and Damon's hand cupped my cheek, caressing it with his thumb.

"Feels nice," I mumbled.

"I can't seem to keep my hands off you," he whispered. "I've never been able to."

"I don't know if that's good or bad," I replied, opening my eyes. I lifted my hand up and took his hand off my cheek, lacing my fingers with his.

"See, you can't keep your hands off me either," Damon chuckled softly. I let go of his hand and got off my bed; I kicked my boots off and walked over to my closet to get my pajamas.

"Am I gonna get a show?" Damon asked.

"No dice, hot shot," I called out to him. I put my boots back into their box and stood up straight.

"Man, it's really organized in here," Damon said. I turned around and he was standing at the door. He rushed over to me and kissed my cheek. "Goodnight, Miranda."

"You're leaving?"

"Why, do you want me to stay?" he lightly trailed down my neck and across my collar bone with the tips of his fingers. I slapped his hand away and rolled my eyes.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but no." I replied. "Have a good night, Damon." He leaned in close to my ear.

"Try not to dream about home if it makes you cry," he whispered. "I don't like it when you cry." I blinked and he was gone.

**A/N: Lies, secrets, and a peek into Miranda's past before it became a nightmare…there is so much more that will unfold soon. I'm always interested in knowing what you think, so review if you have something on your mind. I hope you enjoyed it; until next time…**


	27. The Art of Drunken Pictionary

** Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Damon's POV**

I pressed "Call" and lifted my phone up to my ear as I poured myself a glass of scotch.

"Good morning, Damon." Miranda answered.

"I'm surprised that your awake. Why do you sound so happy?" I asked.

"Because I have the ability to make friends other than you, your brother and Elena." She replied. "What's up?"

"How would you like to have some fun today?" I asked.

"You're talking about Jenna's barbecue, aren't you?"

"Yeah, how did you know about it?"

"Jenna stopped me as I was leaving to run some errands before the Historical Society meeting and invited me," Miranda replied.

"Are you gonna go?"

"Of course. I didn't think Jenna would invite _you_; she doesn't exactly like you that much."

"Alaric convinced her to invite me," I replied. "After all, I'm the mastermind behind it all; I told Rick, he told Jenna, Jenna invited Mason…"

"I should have known this was your idea," Miranda said, cutting me off.

"We're going to be fishing for werewolves."

"Fishing for werewolves," she giggled. "Funny."

"Focus, Miranda." I chastised.

"Right, sorry." she apologized. "So Mason is going to be there, and we need to get him to admit he's a werewolf?"

"More or less."

"I hope you aren't planning anything stupid," she sighed.

"You can almost always _count _on me planning "something stupid,"" I replied with a smirk. "Now, I gotta go; I have to drive over to the Grill and pick up a little bribe for Jenna."

"Oh god, are you going to poison someone?" Miranda asked.

"Don't worry," I laughed. "You'll know soon enough."

"I hope that's a no," she groaned; there was a loud banging noise in the background, and I had to pull my phone away from my ear. "Damn it!"

"What was that?" I asked.

"Nothing…I'm a little busy right now."

"Alright, see you in a couple hours," I said, ending the call.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I fumbled with my keys, trying to get my house key into the lock so I could go inside. I carefully pushed the door open and walked over to the hall table, putting down the shopping bags I brought in from the car. I went back out to get my mail.

To my surprise, envelopes and magazines weren't the only things waiting for me. A large brown box sat on my porch swing; I picked it up and brought it inside, kicking the door shut behind me. I carefully dropped the box on the couch and examined the label.

**To: Miranda Avery**

Only a few people knew I was here in Mystic Falls and the name I was going by. I shrugged and proceeded to open it; I dug my hand through the packing peanuts and pulled out a polished wooden box—about the size of a hardcover book—with a folded piece of paper taped to the lid. I opened it and recognized the elegant handwriting.

_Found this in the pile of stuff for the rummage sale and thought you might still want it. This counts as a gift since it isn't easy getting something for a girl like you. We miss you; hope you're doing well in Mystic Falls. Happy belated birthday._

_ Love always,_

_ Em and Will_

_ PS. A letter or a phone call would be nice before we die, you know._

I shook my head and laughed. "Always with the dark humor, Em. You guys know I love you." I spoke aloud. I pulled the paper off the box and my smile faded; I carefully traced over the intricate designs carved into the wood with the tips of my fingers. I didn't need to open the box, I knew what was inside.

I tossed it back inside the cardboard box it was shipped in and walked upstairs to get ready to go to the barbecue. I took a shower and blow-dried my hair, opting to leave it slightly curly so I wouldn't waste time with my straightener.

I chose to wear a navy blue colored t-shirt with a black and cream polka dot bow underneath the scooped neckline, a matching cream ruffled skirt, and some navy peep toe platform heels. I ran downstairs and pulled the wine bottle I got for Jenna out of one of my shopping bags before going to save the rest of the stuff I got while I was out. I grabbed my purse and the wine and left to go to Elena's house.

I slowly walked down the sidewalk, enjoying the warm afternoon sunlight; a large black jeep drove past me and then around the cul-de-sac before parking in front of Elena's house. I walked across the street and saw Mason get out of the driver's seat, slamming the car door behind him.

"Hey," he greeted smiling. "You're here for the barbecue too?"

"Yeah," I replied, nodding.

"I'm Mason Lockwood," he said, holding a hand out to shake. "I went to high school with Jenna." I shook his hand and smiled.

"Nice to meet you; I'm Miranda Avery. I live down the street." We walked up the porch steps and Mason knocked on the door.

"You're not from around here, are you?" Mason asked.

"No," I shook my head.

"Good, because I would have felt bad if I didn't recognize you. This is a pretty small town." The front door opened and revealed Jenna, who was holding tongs.

"Hey guys, come on in," she stepped to the side and I walked inside.

"Thanks for inviting me Jenna," I smiled. "I brought wine." I handed her the bottle and she laughed.

"Oh, you didn't have to," Jenna replied. "I got a ton of beer, and apparently, so did Alaric. I think we're all set." She turned to Mason and gave him a hug, and I walked to the kitchen. Rick was standing at the counter pouring barbecue sauce and spices into a bowl; he looked over his shoulder and waved hello.

"Hey, look at you Grill Master."

"I thought you liked your food a little more…alive?" he joked, whispering the last part.

"Ha-ha, very funny." I picked up the apron that was sitting on the counter next to him. ""Kiss the Cook"?"

"Uh, Jenna gave it to me," he replied bashfully. "Damon with you?"

"Nope," I shrugged. "He said something about…bribes and fishing when I talked to him this morning. I wasn't paying attention."

"Good to know," Rick nodded before walking outside to continue grilling. Jenna walked back into the kitchen and smiled as she walked over to the cabinets and pulled down some plates. I took a few and helped her set the table.

"Where's Mason?" I asked.

"He's trying to pry the liquor cabinet open with his bare hands," she laughed.

"I didn't think getting plastered was the only way to get through a barbecue."

"Well, it's great to get everyone together like this," she said excitedly before her tone turned serious. "You know, old friends, new friends…but Damon is in a different category."

"Aunt Jenna, do you have any…" Elena walked into the kitchen and stopped when she saw me.

"Hey Elena," I said, looking at her as I placed forks and knives onto the table at each setting.

"Miranda, I didn't know you were coming too," she replied smiling. Something flashed behind her eyes for a split second; it was as if Elena thought I could read her mind and pushed something away before I could see what it was.

"Is Stefan coming?" Jenna asked. Elena grabbed a bag of potato chips from the counter and opened it up, pouring them into a bowl.

"Yeah, I'm going to call him soon to see if he's on the way. Thanks for letting me invite Caroline, by the way," Elena said. "She could use a day of distraction."

"She's not the plus one I'm worried about," Jenna replied. "Why is Damon coming?"

"Because Alaric is a pity taker," Elena stated.

"Come on, he's not _that _bad." I replied.

"You're just being nice," Elena said.

"Good news, I got the shot glasses," Mason exclaimed, walking into the room with four shot glasses and a bottle of vodka. Elena's eyes widened and she grabbed the bowl of chips.

"That would be my exit," she muttered before leaving the kitchen.

"You're here for 10 minutes and we're already back under the bleachers at the pep rally," Jenna laughed.

"Just like old times, huh?" Mason replied, giving her a sideways hug. The patio door opened and Rick walked inside, carrying a large plate full of ribs.

"Oh, the expensive stuff," he exclaimed. "I like you already."

"Just happy to be invited," Mason stated, unscrewing the cap on the bottle and pouring the vodka into each shot glass.

"Well, thank Rick. This was his idea," Jenna replied.

"Really?" Mason asked skeptically.

"Yeah, you know, I thought it would be nice to meet one of Jenna's high school friends. Dig up a little dirt." I guess it was going to werewolf confession day.

"Oh, I've got dirt," Mason nodded. "I've got dirt."

"I have no secrets," Jenna replied. "Only dirty shame." Mason handed me a shot glass and smiled.

"Amen to dirty shame," I giggled. We all laughed and raised our glasses, clinking them together.

"To dirty shame," Rick toasted. I saw Damon walk into the kitchen as I raised the shot glass to my lips and downed the contents.

"Hey," he greeted with a smile.

"Damon," Jenna replied in an annoyed tone. Damon motioned to the pastry box in his hand with a meek smile.

"We were just doing shots, let me get you a shot glass buddy," Alaric offered.

"Don't bother," Jenna stopped him. "Use mine." She drank her shot and shoved the glass into Damon's hand, walking out of the kitchen. Alaric shot Damon an apologizing glance and followed her out.

I rolled my eyes at Damon as Mason refilled my shot glance; Damon placed the peach cobbler on the counter and handed his glass to Mason. "She doesn't like me very much," he stated.

"We haven't met," Mason replied and stuck out his hand. "Mason Lockwood."

"Oh sure," Damon said, shaking his hand. "Damon Salvatore."

"I know, I've heard great things about you."

"Really?" Damon asked. "That's weird, cause I'm a dick."

"Understatement of the century," I muttered, pushing my bangs away from my eyes.

"You two know each other?" Mason asked, handing me my shot glass. As I drank the shot, I almost thought that I heard Damon growl.

"You could say that," Damon replied, walking around the island and wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me against him. Although it felt nice, I turned and looked at him, confused and slightly shocked.

"So you two are dating," Mason said as more of a statement than a question.

"No," I answered.

"Yes," Damon quickly corrected me. "Yes, we are." I sighed and moved away from him to place my empty shot glass into the sink.

"No, we aren't. It's complicated," I stated with a tone of finality.

Rick and Jenna walked back into the kitchen and Jenna went and got a bunch of beer bottles out of the fridge; Rick went over to the patio door and opened it. "Sit down, guys, I just have to get the rest of the food and then we can eat."

I smiled and helped Jenna carry the bottles to the table.

"I hope these aren't all for you Jenna." I joked. Elena and Caroline walked into the room and sat down at the table; Caroline waved hello to me excitedly. I waved back and sat down; Damon immediately sat down in the chair next to me, which was incredibly close.

"A little personal space would be nice, please." I whispered so only he could hear; Damon smirked and scooted his chair over an inch or two. I turned back to the others at the table and smiled, noticing Mason watching Damon and I with a pensive stare.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I scribbled the tutu onto the paper as everyone else shouted out their guesses.

"Dress," Jenna yelled. "Ballerina!"

"Puppy," Miranda offered.

"Puppy with a tutu," Caroline added.

"No," I exclaimed, taking the cap of the marker out of my mouth.

"Dog," Jenna mumbled. "Hound dog…you ain't nothin' but a hound dog!"

"Dances with wolves," Mason answered.

"Mason wins…" I stated as everyone turned to look at him. "Again."

"How is that a wolf?" Jenna exclaimed, slurring slightly.

"I hate Pictionary," Miranda giggled, picking her empty beer bottle off the ground and walking into the kitchen to dispose of it. I tossed the marker in my hand to Caroline and followed her. Elena was taking the peach cobbler out of its box and putting it onto a plate.

"Aunt Jenna is getting tipsy," I informed her.

"Would you stop plying her with alcohol?" Elena asked.

"I want her to like me," I replied.

"That's impossible," Miranda laughed. "No one likes you." I rolled my eyes at her and she stuck her tongue out at me childishly.

"How's Operation: Lockwood?" Elena asked.

"He's my new BFF," I replied. I walked over to Miranda and grabbed the beer out of her hand and took a drink from it.

"Hey!" she protested.

"Mine now," I replied, kissing her cheek.

"Jerk," she stated with a smile, pushing me away; Jenna walked into the kitchen.

"There you guys are," she said. "Isn't this fun?"

"Yes, thank you for inviting us," I replied.

"I invited Miranda, Rick invited you," she huffed.

"I know what you must think about me," I began, but Jenna cut me off.

"No, you don't," Jenna stated. "You've never dated you. I have dated many yous."

"Well, I'm a work in progress," I replied meekly.

"I don't know how Miranda can put up with you long enough to be your friend; she must have enough patience and understanding for the whole state," Jenna said.

"Uh, thanks?" Miranda laughed.

Elena handed Jenna a silver server from a wooden box and I walked over to look at all the knives.

"Oh, these are fancy," I commented.

"Thanks," Jenna replied. "My mother's silver set." I opened the drawer in the box and pulled out a large silver knife; I looked over my shoulder at Miranda and smirked. Miranda rolled her eyes and walked away toward the bathroom; I quickly followed her.

"Uh, what are you doing?" she asked as she was about to close the door.

"We're going to have a little chat," I replied, pushing her inside and locking the door behind me.

"Seriously?" she asked, leaning against the wall, crossing her arms. "We need to have a "little chat" _now_?"

"Did you have something better to do?" I asked. Miranda's face changed—eyes darkening and fangs extending—but her expression stayed casual.

"As a matter of fact, I do. I don't think this was appropriate to do outside where everyone could see," she shrugged. Miranda cracked her neck and popped her shoulders, sighing in relief. "It's hard to be perfectly normal all day…I had my first Historical Society meeting this morning."

"I thought you were happy about making friends," I replied.

"I am, but being a society girl is brutal. I don't know how I've been doing it for so long," she sighed.

"You're getting old," I teased her.

"Shut up," she laughed. Her face started to return to normal as she pushed herself off the wall. "So what do you want to talk about?"

"Us," I replied nonchalantly. Miranda stared at me for a second before smiling.

"You _would_ bring it up," she said. "What about "us"?"

"Where are we?" I asked. "_What_ are we?"

"You asked me this question before, didn't you?"

"I did, but you never answered. Just don't tell me that you don't feel something for me…" She took a step closer to me and placed a chaste kiss on my lips.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"It means I like you too," she whispered. "Why are you acting stupid?"

"You make me stupid," I replied, lifting her up and wrapping her legs around my waist before pushing her up against the wall. I was about to kiss Miranda when she put her hand up to stop me.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked.

"I like you, you like me. We should celebrate," I replied with a smirk.

"We're in the bathroom of Elena's house, and there are people outside. This is inappropriate Damon," she whispered. "Put me down." I gave her a quick kiss and let her stand on her own.

"Does this mean you're my girlfriend?" I asked as she placed a hand on the doorknob and smoothed her skirt out.

"I told you I don't do the whole "going steady" thing. Call me old-fashioned, but couples who over-do the PDA make me a little sick."

"But the entire town already thinks we're together," I pointed out.

"I don't care," she replied. "Its—"

"Complicated," I finished for her. Miranda smiled and exited the bathroom. I smiled to myself; she was mine, and I wasn't going to let her get away again.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I was happy I got some of my feelings for Damon out; it was like one of the things weighing my mind down was removed.

"If you already know he's a werewolf, why do you keep pressing this silver thing?" I whispered to Damon as we stood by the island.

"Do you guys want any coffee?" Jenna asked, walking past us.

"No thank you, Jenna." I replied.

"Well, I want to see how he reacts when he touches this," he said, pointing to the silver server in the pie. I picked my beer up off of the counter and walked back to the table, sitting down.

"Mason, why don't you start us off?" Damon asked, bringing the pie over to the table and sitting down. Mason smiled and looked down at it, eying the silver server before turning the plate around and taking a slice with his bare hands. I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from letting my inner neat freak say anything.

He picked up a peach that fell onto the table and popped it into his mouth, looking up to find Damon, Rick and I watching him. He smiled and began to laugh.

"Oh, what am I?" he chuckled. "I apologize; I'm an animal." I looked over at Damon and he shot me a suspicious glance. Hungry Like the Wolf started playing in my mind and it took a second or two to force it to stop.

"So Mason, you and Jenna never dated?" Alaric asked. Mason shrugged and shook his head.

"She was always lost in Logan Fell Land," he replied.

"Ah, my first mistake," Jenna sighed. "Mason was a catch; he had girls lining up."

"Really?" Damon exclaimed, smirking. "Huh, I always pegged you for a lone wolf."

"I'm sure I wasn't half the lady killer you were," Mason replied, lifting his beer bottle. _Uh oh_. "How about a toast?" he asked. We all raised out bottles as well.

"To new friends," Mason toasted.

"Cheers," I said as we clinked bottles. I lifted the bottle to my lips and drank about half of the bottle before placing it back on the table.

"So, Miranda," Mason began, picking up his fork to start eating. "Where are you from?"

"I was raised in Colorado, but I moved to Vermont when my parents passed away," I replied; the answer was one I always gave. I was raised in _blank_, but I moved to _blank_; just fill in the blanks, and they don't ask too many questions.

"Were you from a small town?" Jenna asked as she sat down and got a piece of the pie. I began fiddling with my necklace nervously, while trying to keep myself composed.

"Not small, but cozy; everyone from my graduating class could probably fit inside this room twice," I nodded. "But it was more of a tourist stop."

"That's cool," Mason replied.

Damon unexpectedly grabbed my hand and laced my fingers with his; I gave him a questioning look and then turned to see Mason staring at me with a smoldering yet unreadable gaze, his eyes quickly darted to our hands before looking back to his plate.

What the hell was going on?

* * *

**Damon's POV**

After Miranda helped Jenna clear up, Elena and Caroline had left to go see where Stefan was; I hadn't seen him all day, so I really didn't have a clue either. I had gone into the kitchen to get something to drink—something stronger than beer—and when I turned around, Mason was walking in behind me. He had a cheery smile on his face; what was with him?

"Jenna just brought out Guitar Hero," he said. "It might be time to mutiny."

"Well I just happen to like Guitar Hero, so you, my friend, are barking up the wrong tree," I replied. I was enjoying all the wolf jokes I had been making all day.

"Ok, enough with the innuendos," Mason stated. "You win, you're hilarious."

"Thank you," I said proudly.

"Come on, man. You don't think I know what this barbecue is about?"

"How do you know about me?" I asked. "Your brother was completely clueless."

"It doesn't matter; I'm not your enemy Damon."

"You tried to kill my brother," I snapped.

"That was a mistake," Mason tried to reason with me.

"Really?"

"There was confusion, I couldn't chain myself up in time. I have no control once I shift," he explained.

"Aw, what? No obedience school?" I asked, smirking.

"I'm serious. Let's not spark some age old feud that doesn't apply to us."

"Do you expect me to believe that you're in Mystic Falls planting peach trees?"

"I lost my brother, my nephew lost his father; I'm here for my family." He replied. "Let's be above this." He extended his hand, and I shook it. Miranda walked into the room and waved us over.

"Come on guys," she laughed. "Jenna is going game crazy; it's hilarious. She's kicking Rick's ass."

Mason turned and walked out of the room, and I opened the silver set again.

"What are you doing?" Miranda asked, suddenly behind me, looking at what I was doing.

"I'm not going to let this go," I replied. "Not just yet." I pulled out the knife from before and running outside to hide it in my car for later. Miranda followed me outside, and when I turned around she was standing right there, inches away from me.

"You're really pushing this silver thing aren't you?" she asked. "Are you going to kill him?"

"No, I'm just going to be…ensuring our safety." I replied smirking. "He almost killed Stefan because he couldn't _chain himself up _in time. What happens next time, hmm? What if he "forgets" to chain himself up?" Miranda stayed silent for a minute or two, a pensive look on her face.

"I guess you're right," she sighed. I took her hand and pulled her back inside.

"Thank you," I said. "He'll just be a thorn in our side until he's dead anyways."

After an hour of Guitar Hero and talking, it started getting dark. Jenna and Rick walked Mason to the door, and Miranda and I stayed behind, waiting for him to leave.

"No takers for more drinks at the grill?" he asked. Jenna gave him a look and he sighed. "It's like I'm with a bunch of adults here."

"I prefer the term "role model,"" Jenna replied.

"Ok, thanks for having me." They hugged and Mason shook Rick's hand. "Alaric, catch that game next weekend?"

"Yeah, I look forward to it," he replied. Mason walked over to the door and waved over to where we were standing.

"It was nice meeting you two," he said before leaving. I walked over, pulling Miranda behind me.

"I guess we should be heading out, too." I said.

"I hope we're not leaving you with a big mess," Miranda said as Jenna gave her a hug.

"Don't worry about it, you were a guest and you helped out too much as it is," she laughed. When Miranda backed away, Jenna gave me an annoyed glance.

"Jenna you are a wonderful hostess," I complimented.

"And you are a terrible artist," she insulted.

"Is that the only thing that makes me terrible?" I asked. Jenna paused and frowned.

"I'm still deciding," she replied.

"Good enough for me," I stated. I walked over to the door where Miranda was waiting. "Alaric, let's _not_ catch that game next week."

We walked outside and closed the door behind us; I grabbed Miranda's hand and we walked down the steps.

"Did you have a fun time?" I asked.

"Yeah, I had a very fun time," she laughed.

"Ready for some more fun?" I asked, walking towards my car.

"I think I'm going to pass," Miranda replied. "Murder isn't on my agenda for tonight…" she whispered.

"Can I have a rain check," I asked, my arms encircling her waist as we stopped on the sidewalk.

"Maybe," she said with a smile. "Depends on the next situation you get us into."

"Works for me," I muttered, kissing her lips softly. I let her go and she backed away, with a shy smile. "See you later," I said, opening the driver's door and getting into my car. She waved goodbye and then turned around, walking down the street to go home.

I quickly started the car and drove to the Grill, speeding so I would get to Mason before anyone saw him. I parked a block away and walked to where he had just parked and got out of his car, the silver knife in my hand.

"Damon?" he asked when he saw me approaching him. He chuckled and continued to roll up his sleeves. "What, more dog jokes?"

"Nah," I replied. "Those got old." I plunged the knife into his chest and he fell to the ground, grunting loudly. I walked past him and over to his car, opening the trunk so I could stash his body.

"You know," Mason said, his voice normal. I turned around to see him standing up as if nothing happened. "I think it was werewolves who started the whole silver myth…probably for moves like this." He walked over and closed the door to the trunk; I backed away and watched him.

"Duly noted," I replied.

"I was really looking forward to last call." He stated, approaching me. "Now you've made an enemy." I turned and walked away from him, not taking his threat seriously. I walked out of the alley and into the Grill, going straight for the bar.

* * *

I left the bar shortly after Stefan and Elena had their fight and stormed off; I couldn't understand why my brother would give Elena up so easily. I knew he hated Katherine as much as—or even more than—I did.

I walked out into the night and headed down the sidewalk to my car; a familiar voice caused me to break from my thoughts.

"Bad day?" Katherine asked. I had enough on my plate, I didn't need her pestering me too.

"Bad century," I replied coldly. "I heard you were on the loose."

"What's the matter? Are you jealous I spent the day with Stefan?"

"I don't do jealous." I said, walking away. "Not with you, not anymore. I have Miranda again, and I'm not going to let you screw it up…_again_."

"Then why so pouty?" Katherine asked.

"Tried to kill a werewolf; failed." I stated shortly. "Now I feel like I'm not living up to my best self."

"Well, werewolves aren't easy prey."

"What do you know about werewolves?" I asked once we got to the corner.

"Why don't you ask your brother?" she taunted. "Don't try to be the hero, Damon. You'll end up dead."

"Been there, done that," I replied. "At least this time it'll be worth it." I turned and walked away from Katherine, never looking back.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I listened to the ringing as I towel-dried my hair, my phone sitting on the countertop on speaker phone so I could properly do the task at hand. I may have loved barbecues and grilled food, but they always made me smell…charcoal-y.

"You're lucky I was awake when the phone rang, or else you would have been talking to the machine," Emmaline answered.

"Sorry about that Em," I laughed. "I was a little held up earlier, so I couldn't call."

"I hope that isn't code for killing someone," she replied in a warning tone.

Emmaline and her husband, William, both knew what I was, and had for…a little over 35 years, but I never had to compel them to keep the secret. They both genuinely cared for me, and treated me like the child they were never able to have. Em worried about me whenever I didn't call for a few weeks, and was always giving me advice.

Will, though, helped me out in other ways; he was a retired private investigator, and I knew I could always call him if I needed a little information or help changing my identity when I stayed in one place for too long and needed to leave. Not to mention, he was pretty damn good at texting for a 75-year-old.

It made me sad to think that they would pass away eventually…

"I'm going to ignore you," I stated, tossing the towel into the laundry basket. "How are things with you and Will?"

"We're doing alright," she replied. "Thanks for calling, by the way. Did you get your gift?"

"That's why I called Em. I appreciate the thought, really I do," I turned the speaker off and brought the phone up to my ear as I shut the bathroom light. "But I left it with you guys for the rummage sale for a reason; I don't need it anymore." The wooden box sat on my bed, creating an dip in the perfectly pressed comforter.

"You'll find a use for it, I'm sure," Em replied. "I know you; it's what you do. If you don't…give it to someone else. I know you regift, Miranda, so don't deny it."

"Thanks for having faith in me," I said, sitting cross-legged on my bed. "I'll let you go, Em. Go get some sleep, and I'll check back in a couple of weeks."

"Alright," she sighed. "Don't get into any trouble. Bye."

"Bye." I replied, ending the call and placing it on my bedside table. I looked at the box for a second or two, and then I picked it up and shoved into the side table drawer. Out of sight, out of mind.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed it. I'll try to update sooner, but I've been busy the past few weeks with school work. More to come soon!**


	28. Death at a Picnic

** Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

"Paper plates, cooler…where are the forks?" I mumbled to myself as I packed up the box to bring to the Historical Society Volunteer Day. I opened one of the kitchen cabinets and pulled the 500-pack of plastic forks off of the second shelf, tossing them into the box.

I picked up the box and walked outside through the garage, putting it into the trunk of my car which was filled with trays of flowers I got earlier that morning at the request of Carol Lockwood. "Think variety, Miranda," she had said. "Different types and different colors."

I closed the trunk and then got into the driver's seat to leave. I pressed the button on my garage door opener and then went to toss it onto the passenger's seat, only to find that Damon was sitting there, watching me with a sly smirk on his face.

"Can't you make your appearance known like a normal person?" I asked.

"Define normal," he replied. I sighed and kept my attention on the road. "Are you giving me the silent treatment?"

"Do you want me to drive into a tree?" I asked once I stopped at a stop sign and I turned to look at him. "What's with the face?"

"I tried to kill Mason, and it turns out that silver doesn't work."

"That sucks," I replied. "What now?"

"I have to think outside the box," Damon sighed.

"Good luck with that."

Once we got to the park, I got out of the car and brought the flowers over to where the other flowers were being kept until it was time to plant them into the ground. Damon had run off to…God knows where. I didn't really care; I had to pay attention to what I was doing.

"I hope you brought some gardening gloves," I heard someone say behind me as I was separating the single late tulips from the peace roses. I got up and saw Mason walking over, carrying a bag of soil. He dropped it on a pile of other soil bags and dusted off his hands.

"You know, so you don't get your hands dirty," he elaborated.

"Thanks for your concern," I said. Just because he was a threat, didn't mean that I had to be mean to him. I turned to go back to get more flowers and Mason followed me.

"Do you need any help?" he asked with a smile.

"Uh, sure." I nodded. "Thanks." I led the way over to my car and opened the trunk. Mason took a tray of flowers and I took the other one—the only thing left inside was the box full of things for the picnic, which I could bring over afterwards.

"So, how are you doing?" Mason asked.

"Fine," I replied. "You?"

"I would be better if your boyfriend hadn't stabbed me in the chest last night," he said in a low voice so others couldn't hear. I kept walking at a normal pace, acting like his statement didn't faze me. "You're not surprised that Damon would do something like that."

"I'm sure he's done worse," I replied nonchalantly.

"How can you just act like everything's normal," he asked, placing the flowers on the ground. "You obviously know what he is, why are you staying with him?"

"What?" I asked, confused.

"If you need help, you can just say it," he said in a hushed tone.

"What are you talking about?"

"The Salvatore brothers aren't safe to be around."

"They're both fine in my book," I replied. "But you…you're starting to get on my nerves a little bit." I put the flower tray down and turned to walk away, but Mason grabbed my wrist and held me back.

"Look, I think you're a good person, and I don't want to see you get hurt. Damon's just using you for your blood. Why are you ok with that?" Mason asked. Hold the phone; did he think I was human?

"What the—," I stuttered, shaking my head. "I…you—I don't need help, Mason. I'm a big girl. Now, get your hands off of me."

Mason nodded and got his "mind power" face on. He let me go and walked away without another word.

* * *

**Liz Forbes' POV**

Mason walked over with a cooler full of ice as I was unwrapping plates of food and putting them onto the table. "Oh, thanks Mason."

"Hey Sheriff, you've got a second?" Mason asked.

"I'm out of uniform," I informed him. "Let's go with Liz."

"Alright, Liz. I was hoping to talk to you about the council," he stated.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied quickly.

"I know you and the other founding families have a secret council," he pressed on. Was he out of his mind? He must have been if he was going to talk about this in public.

"If that were true, then you'd know it's a secret and isn't discussed with non-council members."

"I know I rejected all that, but it's only because I wanted a life outside this town," he began. "Not because I was a non-believer. Look, I know vampires exist and you have two of them living right under your nose."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Who would they be?"

"Damon and Stefan Salvatore," he replied seriously. He had to be delusional.

"That's impossible," I scoffed. "I know Damon Salvatore. Do you know what he's done for this town?"

"I know it's a lot to digest," he said.

"No," I snapped. "I watched him kill vampires. He's an ally; he's part of the council."

"Think about it, when did the vampire attacks begin? When Damon and Stefan Salvatore moved to town?"

"They walk in the sun, Mason," I tried to convince him so he would let it go.

"They've evolved. It's not 1864; they've figured it out, Liz." What he was saying _did_ make sense, but I just couldn't believe it.

"No," I refused. "Damon Salvatore is my friend."

"So is his girlfriend, right? Miranda? She knows that they're vampires, and she isn't saying anything."

"No," I shook my head. "Her brother was killed by vampires. She wouldn't associate with them willingly." Mason sighed and motioned to where Stefan and Damon were walking.

"What if I can prove it to you?"

"Fine…but if you're wrong, I don't want to hear anything about this again," I warned him. "Ever."

"You have my word," Mason nodded and walked away.

A few minutes later, Miranda walked up to the table with a box full of paper plates, and plastic cups and silverware; a group of about fifteen 7- or 8-year-olds were following her. They all had dirt covered hands. Miranda placed the box on the table and turned to the kids.

"Alright, go get food or whatever," she said. Before they ran off, she stopped them. "Hand sanitizer…you don't want to eat that dirt." They all giggled and dispersed.

"Looks like you have a little army there," I joked.

"Yeah," she nodded. "They wanted to play around with the dirt, so I gave them some shovels and they helped plant flowers. I thought it would be disastrous, but it all worked out."

"Except for the dirt covered kids," I pointed out.

"Hey, if the parents didn't want their kids to get dirty, they shouldn't have brought them to a park."

"That is very true," I nodded. I looked up and saw Damon approach the table. I didn't want to believe Mason, but some of the things he said just made sense.

"Hey, I saw you with Mason earlier; what was that about?" Damon asked me as he got to the table where Miranda and I were standing.

"Uh, I just asked him to help with the cleanup in the woods," I replied, avoiding eye contact.

"That's what I'm here for, put me to work. Should I go help him?"

"Oh, no. You know, he's…I'm sure he's fine." I said, nodding.

"What about with the gardening," he offered, putting an arm around Miranda's waist.

"Uh, I don't think Miranda needs any more help."

"I have an posse of 1st graders helping me," Miranda added with a smile. "Speaking of which, I have to go and make sure they don't throw things at people. It was nice talking to you Liz." Miranda said before walking away.

I smiled and then looked back at Damon and I forced the smile to stay on my face.

"You ok, Liz," he asked. "You seem upset."

"It's Caroline," I replied with a partial lie. "We had a moment."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No, Damon." I said quickly. "Thank you. It's just the horrible parental skills paying off in spades." I picked up an empty plate and walked away frowning.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

Little kids make me uneasy; they're unpredictable and almost always uncontrollable. That was the problem I was having now; they were following me everywhere.

I looked around and made sure no one was around, and I turned around and knelt down so I could look them all in the eyes.

"Alright, little humans," I began in a hushed voice. "You're going to stop following me, and you're going to find your parents and tell them what a great job you did. No more getting into trouble today either." I stood up and they all ran off.

Maybe compelling them wasn't the _best_ thing to do, but it was the first option that ran through my head. I took my gardening gloves off and rubbed my eyes in exasperation.

"I saw that," Damon's voice pulled me from my little moment of frustration.

"I didn't do anything wrong," I shrugged and we started walking. "What about you?"

"I've been on my best behavior today," he replied.

"Really?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"Yes," I stated truthfully. I saw Mason up ahead, and he looked over his shoulder at Damon and I. "But something tells me that your good behavior streak is going to end…very soon."

"Stefan wants me to be nice," Damon replied.

"I have a feeling that's not going to happen."

"You know me so well." He grabbed my hand, and pulled me toward the little lemonade table where Mason was standing.

"Hello Mason. Working hard?" Damon asked. Mason turned around and smiled.

"Doing my part," he replied, drinking lemonade from a cup.

"I heard you talked to Stefan," Damon continued.

"Nice guy," Mason commented.

"Nicer than him," I replied. "Stefan's the good one."

"But you like me better," Damon whispered to me, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Nice is overrated," Mason said.

"That's what I think," Damon replied, giving Mason a light shove. Mason smiled and nodded.

"You two have a good day," he said, turning to walk away.

"Please tell me that you were just bonding," Stefan said, walking over to us.

"What's up with this faux drama in your relationship?" Damon asked him. I was lost.

"What are you talking about?" Stefan asked. Damon shrugged and smiled.

"What _are_ you talking about, Damon? Or are you just rambling?" I asked.

"They're fighting," he replied, crossing his arms. "The only problem is that you and Elena _don't_ fight; you're all kissy and "I love you.""

"Just drop it," Stefan sighed. "Please?"

"With pleasure," Damon smirked.

"Would you like some lemonade?" the little girl at the table asked us. Damon took the plastic cup out of her hand and smiled.

"Thank you sweetie," he said. I looked around at all the people walking and chatting. Damon raised the cup to his lips and as soon as he drank some of the lemonade, he coughed and spit it out.

"What the hell?" I exclaimed as he held onto the table for support as he kept coughing. Stefan and I helped him over to a picnic table so he could sit down.

"What's wrong with you?" Stefan asked.

"Vervain," he choked out. "Vervain."

"It's alright," I said, sitting next to him and rubbing his back to soothe him as he coughed and held his throat in agony. Stefan grabbed one of the cup and smelled it.

"Yeah, definitely vervain," he nodded. "Who would put vervain in the lemonade?"

"Mason," I answered. "Mason would."

After a few moments, Damon stood up and walked over to another table with Stefan and I right on his heels. He pulled a bottle of water out from a bucket of ice. "Oh, it burns," he groaned, twisting open the cap. He chugged some water and gargled it before spitting it over the side of pavilion. Stefan patted his back a few times as Damon took ragged breaths.

"I'm gonna kill him," he grunted, turning around. Stefan pushed him back and they got into a little bit of a tussle. Stefan pushed him down onto the bench.

"Listen to me!" Stefan exclaimed. "Sit, sit!"

"I'm not listening to anymore of your "give peace a chance crap"," Damon growled. "He's dead!" Damon tried to get up, but Stefan held him down. Damon took heavy, ragged breaths to control himself.

"Okay," Stefan sighed. "I don't like it, but he's making threats. He could expose us; we need to put him down."

"Alright, let's do it," Damon said, surprised at Stefan's decision. He looked behind me and I turned and saw Mason walking up the hill with two giant trash cans. "Woods. Trash duty. Come on." He got up and they started heading in the direction Mason went. I was about to follow them but Damon turned around and stopped me.

"What?"

"You're not going," he said.

"But I can help," I protested.

"I don't want you to see what I do to him," he replied.

"I'm sure I've seen worse," I shrugged. Damon shook his head and cupped my face with his hands.

"Please, stay here," he whispered. "For me." I sighed and nodded. "Ok, we'll be right back, and then we won't have to worry about werewolves anymore." I watched as he and Stefan ran into the woods. I turned back around and sat on the bench.

What is with me? Why can't I say no to him? I should have gone; I've seen my share of mangled corpses…a few of them were because of me anyways.

"Are you Miranda?" I looked up and saw one of Liz's deputies standing in front of me.

"Uh, yeah. Can I help you?"

"The Sheriff needs some help," he said. "She asked for you specifically."

"Help with what?" I asked, standing up.

"Hybrid Tea Roses," he replied with a sheepish smile.

"Sure…" I nodded and followed him. The deputy nodded and led me out of the park and down the line of cars toward the woods. There was static on his walkie-talkie and he paused for a moment while I kept walking forward. I saw Liz up ahead in an area that was a partial clearing. Something was up.

"I didn't know the park was going to be out here too," I said, stopping. I felt a hand on my shoulder and the barrel of a gun in the middle of my back.

Two more deputies walked over, each of them carrying an unconscious body; I immediately recognized them. "What the hell?" I exclaimed. The deputy pushed me forward and I saw Mason standing next to a little flight of stairs leading underground.

"It's down the stairs to the left," he told the deputies carrying Stefan and Damon. He looked at me with a sad expression on his face.

"You bastard," I spat at him.

"I tried to help you, Miranda," Mason apologized. "But you wouldn't listen."

"Keep walking," the deputy behind me pushed me again and I kept walking forward, down the steps and into a cellar.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I felt someone nudge my leg, causing me to wake up. Mason Lockwood set us up…I remembered that much. I blinked a few times before I heard a gunshot and there was an intense burning pain in my leg; I screamed in agony.

"This is how it's gonna work," Liz said, and I looked over to see her pointing a gun at me. "Answer me and you don't get shot, understand? How many of you are there?" I looked to my right to see that Stefan was unconscious and had bloody bullet holes in his shirt like I probably had. I looked back at Liz and tried to blink the vervain induced haze from my eyes.

"Liz please," I begged. She pointed her gun at my other leg and shot, causing me to scream again..

"How did you fool us; how do you walk in the sun?" Liz asked. I stayed completely silent and waited. She pointed her gun at Stefan and shot him in the chest again, but he didn't react since he was still unconscious.

"I will drag this out painfully," she threatened.

"But you're my friend," I tried to reason with her.

"Our friendship was a lie," she replied. "Answer me and I'll kill you fast."

"Don't hurt them." Miranda choked out.

"Bring her over here," Liz ordered. A deputy pushed Miranda from the shadows and kept his gun pointed at her. "You'll tell me, or we'll kill her." Her face was so heartbreaking; it was as if the world had crashed down on her and she couldn't even think to do anything.

"No," I groaned.

Liz gave a signal to the deputy. He pushed Miranda away from him and shot her twice in the chest, causing her to fall backwards. I could hear her give a small cry in pain and struggle to take a breath.

"Are you going to talk?" Liz asked. I stayed silent, thinking the same thing over and over; she'll be fine, she'll heal, she'll be alive. Liz sighed and looked at her deputies.

"He's not gonna tell us anything. Kill them both," Liz ordered. "Each with a stake in the heart, then burn them both. And the girl too; don't leave any evidence."

There were a bunch of loud noises, but I wasn't paying attention. I was focusing too much on the pain I was experiencing. If I got out of this alive, I was definitely going to kill Mason Lockwood.

I was suddenly aware of the scent of blood, and I noticed Caroline had killed the deputies and Liz was staring at her with wide eyes. Elena—when did she get here—walked over to Stefan and tried to wake him up. I turned my head and saw the lifeless body of a deputy right next to me. I moved over and sank my teeth into his neck, drinking as much blood as I wanted; I felt my strength come back and heard Stefan groan and sit up.

I pulled away from the deputy and tried to push myself off the ground; I looked over at Miranda to see her face contorted in pain. She lifted a hand to her mouth and spit out the two bullets she was shot with, signaling she had healed; she gently rested her head back and closed her eyes.

I pressed my hand against the deputy's still bleeding neck and crawled over to Miranda.

"Come on, it'll be ok," I whispered, smearing some of the blood on my fingers onto her lips. She took a deep breath in and licked her lips before opening her eyes.

"This is happening to me…way too much," she replied.

"If I were you, I'd be sick of it by now and want rip the town apart," I said, trying to get her to smile.

"I'm not dreaming, am I?" she asked dazedly.

"Why do you ask?" Miranda smiled and lifted her hand up and touching my lips.

"You're a messy eater." She swiftly sat up and placed a chaste kiss on my lips. I looked over at Elena and Stefan.

"You need to drink some deputy blood," I told him.

"No," he groaned, inhaling sharply. "I'll be fine, it's just going to take a little bit longer."

"Damon's right," Caroline said. "If there's ever a time to break your diet—"

"He said he didn't want to," Elena cut her off. "Okay."

I stood up with some difficulty due to the damage the bullets did to my legs. "Well, this is the most unfortunate situation. Two deputies dead," I turned and looked at Liz. "And you…what am I going to do with you?"

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" Caroline asked, and Liz stayed silent. "Mom? Mom? Please. Look, I know that we don't get along and that you hate me but I'm your daughter and you'll do this for me, right? Mom, please. He will kill you." Liz looked up at me with sad eyes.

"Then kill me," she said to me.

"No!" Caroline exclaimed.

"I can't take this," Liz began sobbing. "Kill me now." I took a few steps towards her, watching her intently. I knelt down so we were face-to-face.

"But you were going to drag it out so painfully," I taunted her. I grabbed her by the arms and pinned her to the wall, causing Caroline to go into a crying fit of "no's".

"Damon, don't," Stefan exclaimed.

"Please," Elena begged.

"Relax guys, no one's killing anybody" I said, looking back at them. I turned back to Liz. "You're my friend." I released her from my grasp and looked around at the mess around us. "We have to clean this up."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I lifted the blood bag off of the counter top and drank from it, closing my eyes as I felt my energy recharge.

"Thank you, anonymous donor, you've really made my day," I said when I finished it and threw it into the trash can next to the sink. I looked at my reflection and touched the bloody holes in my shirt. "Damn humans…always ruining my day." It really didn't matter by now; I was used to people wanting me dead.

I shivered as a cool breeze blew into the bathroom; I walked to the open door and rolled my eyes as I leaned against the doorjamb.

"You know," Damon said, lounging on my bed and flipping through the pages of the book I had been reading. "You really are the most boring person I've ever met…not counting Stefan. Nobody reads non-fiction." I walked over to the window and closed it, pulling the curtains shut since it was dark outside.

"I happen to have a wide variety of interests," I informed him. He shut the book and tossed it away, causing to land on the floor with a dull thud.

"You haven't changed yet," he stated, pointing to my clothes.

"I've been a little busy…there was a little traffic jam at the park. That's what you get when you ask the whole town for help. How are things at the boarding house?"

"Everyone's all snug in their beds. Liz is in the cellar, Caroline in the living room, Stefan and Elena…ugh, I don't want to even _think_ about what they're up to."

"You almost died today; I should probably go and get you some blood," I said.

"No need," he replied, reaching over to my bedside table.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Getting some blood from your bedroom stash," he replied.

"Sorry, bedroom stash is gone as of two minutes ago. You have to go to the basement for blood."

"You're lying," he said, smirking and opened the drawer. He saw the wooden box and pulled it out. "Fancy; what's in here?"

"Nothing," I replied quickly.

"Funny, because it looks like something," he said. I ran over and jumped up onto the bed, pinning him to it."Didn't think you wanted me that badly, Miranda," he said smugly.

"Sorry, but no dice." I pulled the box out of his hand and rolled off of him, lying flat on my back. "I really didn't want to open it, but since you're a pain in the ass, I guess I don't really have a choice," I said.

I popped the little latch, and opened the lid; a perfect, hand-crafted hunting knife that had an elaborate engraving in the blade sat inside, glinting in the light. I lifted it out of the box gently, afraid it would break.

"What is it?" Damon asked.

"What does it look like?"

"No need to be snarky, I was just wondering why you didn't want me to see," he replied, putting his hands up in defeat.

"When my brother was alive, he used to have a knife like this." I began. "He was…the bravest person I've ever known; he died trying to protect me. I saw this in a blacksmith's shop in 1755, and I just had to have it because it reminded me of him.

"When I came to Mystic Falls in 1862, I used it to kill the animals I fed on—my brother showed me how to hunt small game before he died—and every time I saw a rabbit or a bird, I thought of him. When I left, I put it in this box, and never looked at it again—or really thought about him again—until right now."

I placed the knife back into the box and shut the lid, then put it on the bedside table. I sighed and turned to see Damon watching me; he reached over and wiped a stray tear away with his thumb. I turned onto my side and rested my head on Damon's shoulder, and he pulled me closer to him.

"How did your brother die?" he asked.

"A vampire killed him," I replied.

**A/N: So the lie Damon told Sheriff Forbes a few chapters ago turns out to be true, and we keep getting more little blasts from Miranda's past. I hope you enjoyed the chapter; more to come soon.**


	29. Killers Never Prosper

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

The doorbell rang for the tenth time, and I rolled my eyes as I ran down the stairs, tugging on my shoes.

"Hold your horses," I huffed, and opened the door. Damon stood there, leaning against the door jamb with his arms crossed.

"I thought you were avoiding me," he said as I locked the door and walked outside. "I haven't seen you in a few days."

"Blame Carol Lockwood," I replied. "She obviously wanted to see if I was worth being on the Historical Society by asking me to interview circus performers for the Masquerade Ball."

"What would you know about circus performers?" he asked. I avoided his gaze as I closed the door behind me. "You used to be in the circus, didn't you?"

"Kinda," I replied sheepishly.

"I should have known."

"Well, I'm all done now and I'm grateful that there are no more fire-eaters in my backyard. Why are you here?"

"I'm on my way to Lockwood Land, and I thought I would stop by and see if you wanted to join us."

"Us?" I asked, looking over to his car. Jeremy was sitting in the backseat watching us talk. "Jeremy?"

"He has graciously volunteered to be part of the Werewolf Killing Brigade," Damon explained. "He even has some useful information…for once."

"Not to be rude or anything," I said. "But he's going to get himself killed, magic ring or not."

"He's going to get the moonstone for us," he told me as we walked towards the car.

"Moonstone?" I asked; it sounded familiar, but I couldn't place where I had heard it before.

"According to Rick, it's what seals the werewolf curse," he replied. I got into the backseat and looked back at Jeremy.

"You know Elena's going to kill you when she finds out you're involved, Boy Wonder," I said.

"I don't need her permission," Jeremy shrugged.

"Whatever, I'm just stating the facts." I replied as Damon started driving.

Once we got to the Lockwood Mansion, I went to find Stefan on my own while Jeremy stayed with Damon.

"No, don't leave me with him," Damon protested.

"Be nice." I replied.

"I'm not nice, you know that."

"Too bad," I called back to him as I went to find Stefan. There were so many volunteers for this thing, polishing silver candlesticks, hanging lanterns, cutting unruly grass blades with pairs of scissors…it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

I noticed that someone was following me after a few minutes.

"What do you want, Mason?" I asked.

"To talk," he replied. "Look, I'm sorry about—"

"No you're not," I snapped, turning to face him.

"I already talked to Stefan and I know they have Sheriff Forbes. I feel terrible thinking something could happen to her."

"Obviously not terrible enough," I said. "You didn't think out your plan, and now it's coming back to bite you in the ass. Excuse me." I moved to leave but he blocked my way.

"I would have felt bad if something happened to you," he added. "But I guess it's your own fault for surrounding yourself with vampires." I sighed and crossed my arms.

"You see, when you say things like that, the wheels start turning in my head," I said. "What makes you so sure I'm human?"

"What?" he laughed.

"Just answer the question," I told him.

"I don't know…you don't really smell like a vampire," he shrugged. "Just a little bit, but I think that's because you are around Damon so much. Besides, you're not broody and murderous."

"Huh, it's too bad you're dead wrong," I laughed. "Because if you make any more mistakes like that, you could end up…just dead." Mason's expression turned to one of shock.

"You mean you're—"

"Yep, chock full of blood-sucking goodness," I shrugged. "Now if you'll excuse me, you're not exactly on the list of people I tolerate anymore, so I'm going to go before I break your neck." I pushed past him and walked away.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I grabbed Miranda's hand and tugged her in the opposite direction.

"What the hell?" she asked.

"Found him," I replied.

"Impossible," she scoffed.

"Obviously not," I shrugged. We approached Stefan and I clapped my hand onto his shoulder. "Here he is; we need to talk."

"I was just going to call you," he replied. "I found something out."

"What a coincidence, so did we," I said.

"We need to go somewhere private; there are too many people out here," Miranda pointed out. I rolled my eyes and we walked around to the side of the house.

"Ok, you go first," I said.

"Bonnie bumped into Mason, and she had a vision of him kissing Katherine," Stefan said.

"What?" I asked. "Katherine's with Mason Lockwood?"

"You missed it. He got into town right after she did," Stefan continued.

"It makes sense," Miranda nodded.

"I know, but _Mason Lockwood_?" I asked. "Werewolf thing aside, the guy is a surfer. She's gotta be using him, she has to be."

"Using him for what?" Stefan asked.

"Mason Lockwood wants a moonstone," Miranda answered.

"Allegedly, it can break the werewolf curse," I added. "Maybe Katherine wants it as well."

"Why?" Stefan asked.

"Well…no idea," I replied. "That's the beauty of Katherine. She's always up to something."

"So how are we going to find this moonstone," Stefan asked.

"Jeremy's getting it from Tyler."

"Why would you involve Jeremy?" Stefan scoffed, hitting me. He looked at Miranda. "Why would you let him involve Jeremy?"

"Look," I sighed. "He involved himself."

"How are we going to find out what Katherine is doing with Mason?" Miranda asked. "We can't just go up to him and ask nicely."

"Bonnie found out what happened the first time," Stefan shrugged. "Maybe she could do it again."

"In case you forgot, she doesn't exactly like any of us," I pointed out.

"She would do it for Elena," Miranda said.

"I don't want Elena involved in this," Stefan replied, shaking his head. "She's been through enough."

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes. "Miranda, you go find Bonnie. Meanwhile, you and I are going to see if Jeremy got the moonstone or not." Stefan nodded and we walked away.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

Why am I the one who always has to look for someone? I suck at finding people. I spotted Bonnie carrying a large box.

"Bonnie!" I called out, waving. She turned around, and as soon as she saw me, she started walking the other way. She looked back at me and when she turned around, I ran in front of her to stop her. "Not cool Bonnie."

"What do you want?" she snapped, putting the box on the ground.

"Do you have time to chat?"

"With you?" she asked.

"Not quite," I replied. "It's more of a group conversation." Bonnie thought about it for a second and then sighed.

"Fine," she said. "No tricks?"

"No tricks," I said. "At least, not from me. I promise. Let's go." I led her to where I left Stefan and Damon as they spied on Tyler and Jeremy. As soon as Damon saw us, he walked over, grabbing Bonnie by the arm and pulling her to an area where we could get some privacy.

She stopped abruptly and turned to face us. "This is as far as I go."

"Ok," Damon nodded.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"A favor," he replied.

"That's not gonna happen," she scoffed.

"So predictable," Damon stated. "That's why I have them."

"I know how you feel about helping us out but since you're the one that linked Mason with Katherine," Stefan began. "We finally have an opportunity to get an upper hand on both of them so just hear us out."

"Pretty please," Damon added.

"I'm listening," Bonnie replied. Stefan's phone began ringing and he sighed.

"I have to fill Elena in on what's going on," he said. He looked at me. "Make sure he plays nice."

"Got'cha." I nodded. Stefan answered his phone and walked away; Damon turned back to Bonnie.

"All you have to do is touch Mason Lockwood again to see if he gave Katherine the moonstone," he explained.

"My visions don't work like that," she replied. "I don't get to ask questions."

"Well that sucks," I commented.

"Alright, let's talk about that witchy juju you do with me," Damon said. "You know the fun one where my brain bursts into flames."

"That's me giving you an aneurysm," Bonnie replied. "Your blood vessels go pop, but you heal quickly, so I do it over and over again."

"Does it just work on vampires?" I asked.

"It'll work on anyone with a supernatural healing ability."

"Good," Damon nodded. "Good, good."

"Look, I'm not going to help you guys hurt him."

"Mason Lockwood is a werewolf," Damon replied. "Katherine's evil; they're the bad guys. Really? You're gonna play morality police right now?"

"Ignore him for a second," I told her, rolling my eyes. "They could hurt Elena; Katherine especially. Who knows what they could do together."

"You," Damon said. "Are going to get over yourself and help us." Stefan walked over and sighed.

"Yeah, he meant that as a question with a "please" at the end," he said.

"Absolutely," Damon said.

"Fine," she gave in. "What do I have to do?"

"We'll find a way to get Mason close to you, and then you do that thing you do," I replied.

"And then we'll take care of everything else," Damon said. "There's no need for you to feel bad then."

"Alright," Bonnie nodded. "Let's do it."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"We're gonna kill him, aren't we?" Miranda asked as we hid in the bushes.

"Yep," I replied. "We won't need him once he tells us what he knows; you know, where the moonstone is, what Katherine is planning, blah, blah, blah. Here he comes," I said. Mason walked down the steps and saw Bonnie struggling with the table in the truck.

He ran over to help her, and then suddenly, he was holding his head and screaming. He fell to his knees and I walked out into the open; I kneed him in the face, knocking him out.

"Nice job," Miranda complimented me as she and Stefan walked over. Bonnie got into Mason's truck as Stefan and I put him into the back. Miranda jumped into the trunk with him to make sure he didn't wake up.

"See you soon, bro," I said to Stefan as he tossed me Mason's keys.

"Don't do anything stupid," he warned me.

"Wouldn't dream of it," I replied, getting into the truck and starting it.

As I drove out of the Lockwood property, I smirked victoriously. Today was going to be the day my werewolf problems ended; Mason should have watched who he messed with.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

When we got to the Boarding House, Damon came and got Mason out of the trunk. I went inside and grabbed a chair from the dining room as Damon brought Mason into the library. A folded up tarp was on the floor and I put the chair on top of it.

"Here's his bag," Bonnie said, dropping Mason's bag on a chair. "As requested."

"Thanks," Damon said. "Miranda, grab that corner." I went over and helped unfold the tarp.

"Why are you doing that?" Bonnie asked.

"Because I don't want to stain the carpet," he replied.

"I knew you were going to say something like that," she said. She walked over to Mason and put her hands on either side of his head. "He's not going to be out much longer." Damon opened Mason's bag and pulled out some chains.

"Looks like this guy is used to being tied up," Damon muttered.

"What are you doing?" I asked Bonnie as she closed her eyes.

"You're looking for a moonstone," she replied. "I'm trying to help you find it."

"Good," Damon said, chaining Mason to the chair. "Find out if he gave it to Katherine and find out where she is."

"And what they're going to do with the moonstone once they get it," I added. Bonnie concentrated on looking for the information.

"Somewhere small…dark…there's water," she muttered. Damon stood up.

"Like a sewer?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head. "Like a well? That can't be right…yeah. It's a well."

"Why would it be in a well?" I asked. Bonnie let go of Mason and shrugged.

"I told you, I only get what I get." Suddenly, Mason reached out and grabbed Bonnie's wrist. I jumped and pulled her free; she backed up and walked away.

"That's it, that's all I got."

"Hey judgy," Damon called out. "Thank you." Bonnie nodded and left. I walked over to the couch and sat down. Damon walked over to Mason and looked at him.

"Come on," he said. "Wake up wolf boy." He slapped him across the face, and Mason's head snapped to the left. He started groaning and struggling. Damon walked over to the fireplace and grabbed the metal poker, shoving it into the fire.

"Torture?" I asked from the couch, quiet enough so Mason wouldn't hear.

"Do you approve?" Damon asked, looking over his shoulder at me.

"Very much so," I replied. Mason started struggling some more and trying to get free. Once he started screaming, Damon looked over at him and smirked.

"Ooh, someone's feisty," he said, keeping the poker in the fireplace until it was red hot. He got up and moved towards Mason, who shook the chair enough so it fell backwards to the floor.

"What!" he shouted when Damon stood over him. Damon took the poker and pushed it into Mason's chest as he screamed at the top of his lungs in agony. When Damon pulled the poker out, he screamed louder. "You can hurt; good to know. I thought you were going to be some beast mess with no affinity for pain."

I got off the couch and walked over to Mason, pulling back his shirt and examining the wound; it started closing up, leaving some blood on his skin.

"He heals," I said, standing up.

"And quickly. Not good. Guess I'll just have to keep applying pain."

"Ain't that a kick in the head," I teased Mason, nudging his head with my shoe. Damon lifted the chair upright and walked back over to the fireplace to heat up the poker again. Mason started breathing heavily, crying out from time to time.

"So…Katherine," Damon began interrogating him. "How do you know her? What is she up to?" Mason stayed quiet and Damon walked back over to him. "I have all day." He shoved the poker deeply into his abdomen, causing him to scream again. I seriously wanted to get some duct tape to shut him up, but then he wouldn't be able to talk.

"You want a turn?" Damon asked me.

"No," I replied. "I think I'll sit this round out for a while."

_"You are a demon, and I don't speak to demons." The woman hissed, staring at me._

_ "Really?" I asked, wiping the blood from my lips. "I'm sure you spoke to the other demons in town. My father, your husband…the councilmen."_

_ "They only had this town's best interests in mind."_

_ "The moment I was well enough to walk, they took me to the fields and executed me." I told her. "My mother seemed to recall the vote to keep me alive…she said you persuaded your husband to vote against it."_

_ "I didn't know," she sobbed._

_ "Oh, the choices we make," I said, looking up at the sky. "What will your choice be now?" _

_ "You've killed my husband, you've killed my children…you've destroyed half of the town and you will destroy the rest. Let me live, please."_

_ "You beg for mercy?" I asked, laughing._

_ "Yes," she nodded._

_ "Invite me inside," I compelled her._

_ "Won't you come in, Miranda?" she asked. I rushed inside and pinned her to the wall._

_ "I wasn't given the chance to beg for mercy. They put a knife into my chest and left me in the fields to rot. I wasn't even given a chance to say goodbye to my mother; what makes you think I would spare you?" I asked._

_ "You've always seen the beauty of life," she choked._

_ "And now I see the darkness in everyone's hearts," I whispered into her ear. I snapped her neck and let her fall to the floor._

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"He knows something," Miranda pointed out. "Otherwise he wouldn't keep his mouth shut."

"Good observation," I said, walking back to the fireplace. I looked over at Mason. "I have a wonderful girlfriend."

"I'm not your girlfriend," Miranda said, rolling her eyes. "But you _are_ hot when you're torturing and totally evil to him."

"Really?" I asked, suddenly in front of her, wrapping a piece of her hair around my finger. "I didn't know you were kinky like that, Miranda."

"Shut up," she replied with a smile, pushing me away. "And focus, please."

"Right," I said. I looked at Mason and mouthed the word "mine" while pointing to Miranda as she walked away. Mason looked at the floor and I smirked.

"Where did you and Katherine meet?" I asked. "Did she seduce you and tell you she loved you. You're supernatural so she can't compel you; I'm sure she used her other charms."

"She's good that way," Miranda added. I heard footsteps enter the library and I saw Jeremy walk in with a box. I dropped the poker into the fire with a loud clang and walked over.

"I thought I told you to leave," I said.

"I found something in Rick's box of stuff," he replied.

"Ooh, what is it?" I asked.

"I did a search on my phone; it's a plant: Aconitum Vulparia." I looked over to see Mason shake his head. "Grows in the mountainous areas of the northern hemisphere, commonly known as "aconite", "blue rocket" and "wolfsbane"."

Miranda picked up one of the dried flowers and looked at it closely. "What else did you read?" I asked.

"Well," Jeremy sighed. "Every source says something different; one myth says it causes lycanthropy, which sounds bogus. Another one protects people and another one says…well its toxic." Mason groaned and looked at the floor.

"I'm guessing toxic." I said, picking up a small bunch and walking over to Mason. "What's Katherine doing in Mystic Falls?" I asked. When he stayed silent, I ran the flowers over his skin, watching it sizzle and burn as he groaned in pain.

"Why is she here?" I asked loudly.

"She's here with me!" he snapped. "Why are you asking? Jealous?" I looked over at Miranda and smirked, she just shrugged.

"How rude of me," I said. "I just realized I didn't offer you anything to eat." I crumpled up the wolfsbane and shoved as much as I could into Mason's mouth. He tried to move, but I just kept my hand over his mouth. "Yummy!"

When I moved my hand, Mason spit out blood and bloody chunks of the wolfsbane. I was suddenly happy that I put the tarp down.

"That's gross," Miranda said.

"Why do you want the moonstone?" I asked.

"Screw you," Mason exclaimed.

"Ahh! Wrong Answer," I replied.

"If he was gonna say anything, he would have already," Jeremy said.

"Not how torture works, Boy Wonder." Miranda replied nonchalantly.

"I'm taking your eyes now," I threatened Mason, walking closer with the wolfsbane in my hand.

"The well!" Mason said. "You'll find it there."

"I know where it is. I want to know what it does and why you want it."

"I'm getting it for Katherine," he said.

"Why?" Miranda asked.

"She's going to use it to lift the curse," he said.

"Of the moon? Now why would a vampire help a werewolf break a curse that keeps them from turning whenever they want?" I asked.

"So I wouldn't have to turn anymore."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because she loves me!" he exclaimed. I laughed at him; he was pathetic.

"Now I get it," I laughed. "You're just stupid. Katherine doesn't love you; she's using you, you moron!"

"I'm done talking," Mason replied.

"Yes you are."

"Come on Jeremy," Miranda said, walking over to him. "Let's go take a walk."

"I'm staying," he protested.

"No," I replied. "You should go."

"I'm staying," Jeremy snapped. "He's got enough."

"Just help Tyler," Mason told Jeremy. "Don't let this happen to him."

"Damon…" In a split second, I had Jeremy pinned to a chair, my hand clenched around his throat. When would this kid learn when it wasn't his business anymore?

"You want to be a part of this?" I asked. "Well here it is! Kill or be killed! The guy is a werewolf; he'll kill me the first chance he got. So you suck it up or leave!"

"Damon, let him go." Miranda said, tugging on my arm. I released Jeremy and he started coughing and breathing heavily.

"He wants me to kill him anyway," I continued, looking at Mason. "Don't you, Mason? It really is a curse isn't it?" Jeremy got up and left quickly, and Miranda took his place on the chair, her arms folded over her chest.

"You know, when I look at you I see myself. A less dashing, less intelligent version," I told Mason.

"I love her," Mason gasped.

"Oh, I know. I've been where you are, but Katherine will only rip your heart out." I looked over at Miranda and then back to Mason. "Let me do it for her." I said, and then I pushed my hand through his chest with ease and ripped his heart out of his chest. His head fell lifelessly, his eyes open wide.

I dropped his heart on the floor and wiped my hand on the tarp, struggling to get his blood off. Miranda knelt down next to me and took my face in her hands.

"Lost it a little bit at the end there," she said. "Didn't ya'?"

"You have fun watching me go crazy, don't you?" I asked.

"A little bit," she shrugged. "We're only human…or at least, we used to be. We can't have a handle on things all the time."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I pulled Mason's phone from his pocket and tossed it onto the rug as Damon wrapped him up in the tarp. I looked up as Stefan walked into the library.

"All this for that?" Damon asked, standing up.

"Yep," Stefan nodded, tossing the moonstone to Damon. "I see you've exercised your usual restraint."

"Had to be done," Damon shrugged. He grabbed Mason's phone from the floor and then started typing on the keyboard. ""Carol, big opportunity in Florida. I'm gonna be gone…for a long time. Will send for my things once I get settled. Much love, Mason.""

"Let's get rid of him," Stefan said.

"Ooh," Damon exclaimed. "Last number dialed; I wonder who that could possibly be." He smirked and put the phone up to his ear.

"No, don't provoke her," Stefan said, going for the phone. This was one of those stupid things I always anticipated…except I didn't think that it would be this _stupid_.

"Mason," I heard Katherine answer. "You should have been here an hour ago."

"Wrong boy toy," Damon replied, pushing Stefan away.

"This is going to end up in a disaster, isn't it?" I asked Stefan, who nodded.

"I assume Mason's with you," Katherine said.

"He's right beside me, although his heart's across the room," Damon replied.

"You shouldn't have," she stated darkly.

"I've had a very busy day today; killed a werewolf, found the moonstone. Hey did you know he hid the moonstone in the bottom of a well full of vervain, doesn't trust you very much. Although he did love you poor guy." Damon said. "Hey where are you, 'cause I can bring him over. Last goodbyes and all that."

"You have no idea what you've just done," Katherine hissed.

"Aw, did I put a kink in your master plan?" Damon asked teasingly. "I'm so sorry."

"Do you honestly think I don't have a plan B?" Katherine asked. Damon's face fell. "And if that fails, a plan C, then a plan D and…you know how the alphabet works, don't you? Send my love to Stefan." She said, hanging up. Damon looked up at us as he pulled the phone away from his ear.

"That didn't really work out like how I planned," he stated.

"We'll see what happens when the shit hits the fan, Damon," Stefan said, walking out of the room. Damon got up, picked up Mason's body and left so he could get rid of it.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

When I got back from burying Mason, I found Miranda sitting in the living room with tears slowly falling from her eyes. She looked up and walked over, slapping me sharply.

"Ouch," I hissed at the pain. "What happened? What's wrong with you?"

"Elena called…Jenna's in the hospital."

"That doesn't mean you can slap me," I protested.

"Katherine compelled her to stab herself," Miranda replied. "This is your fault. You are so lucky Jenna's going to be fine, or else I would have had to kick your ass. And then Stefan would have probably killed you."

"How's Elena doing?" I asked.

"They're in the library…talking," she sighed and I pulled her back to the couch. "It's not good. She's crying and he's crying…and I'm crying? What the hell?" she asked, wiping her eyes.

Elena walked past us, sobbing. She stopped and Miranda walked over and gave her a hug. "I'm sorry," she said. "It's going to be ok." Miranda let her go and Elena went to leave, but I knew I had to say something.

"I'm the one who riled Katherine up, Elena." I said. "I wasn't—"

"It doesn't matter guys, she won." She said. "Katherine won." She opened the front door and left.

"We have to do something about Katherine." Miranda whispered, walking back over to me. "She's not going to stop unless she gets the moonstone, or she's dead."

"I know." I replied. "She ruined our lives enough."

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading.**


	30. Stuck in the Middle with You

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

"Sorry, I got here as soon as I could," I said, walking into the library and taking off my jacket. Caroline sat on the couch, shaking, and Damon brought her a glass of blood.

"Don't worry," he shrugged. "Stefan _lives here_ and he isn't even here yet." Stefan walked into the room.

"What happened?" Stefan asked.

"Go ahead," Damon told Caroline. He looked at Stefan and I. "You're going to love this."

"I saw Katherine today," she said.

"Where?" I asked.

"At the grill," she replied. "I just stopped by to gawk and quasi-stalk Matt. He asked if I needed a table, but I told him I was just going to use the bathroom. It was…embarrassing."

"Skip the teen drama," Damon said. "Get to it."

"Well, then I had to pretend to use the bathroom, even though I didn't really have to go, because I'm a doofus." Caroline continued. "That's when she walked out of one of the stalls and, you know, I just played along with the "she's Elena" charade. But when I tried to leave, she trapped me and told me she had a message for you."

"What was the message?" Stefan asked.

"She said she wants the moonstone, or she'll rip the town apart until it rains blood. Those were her exact words."

"Tell them the rest of it," Damon urged her.

"She wants it tonight…at the Masquerade Ball." Caroline sighed.

"She wants to do it in public," Stefan said. "Killing Mason threw her off guard."

"She's running scared. What she did to Jenna was desperate; she's out of tricks," Damon replied.

"Can we just give her the moonstone so she'll leave?" Caroline asked.

"Absolutely not," I scoffed.

"Katherine's not getting dick," Damon said. "I'm gonna go to the masquerade ball and I'm gonna kill her, tonight."

"You're not gonna kill her," Stefan said.

"Don't give me that goody, goody crap," Damon replied.

"You're not gonna kill her," Stefan repeated.

"Oh really?" Damon asked.

"Because I am." Stefan said. Damon smiled, pleased with Stefan.

"I guess we need to call the rest of the posse," I said.

"You read my mind," Damon replied. "We'll need all hands on deck for this."

"I feel like this is the Supernatural Hero Squad. Four Vampires, the Witch, the History Teacher Hunter, and the Boy Wonder." I whispered to myself as I pulled my phone out of my pocket and scrolled through the contacts.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"What's going on?" Bonnie asked when she walked inside. She looked over at Miranda, Rick and I standing around the table of vampire killing goodies.

"We're gonna kill Katherine," Jeremy replied, walking over to us.

"I can explain," Stefan said.

"Please."

"We're gonna kill Katherine." Bonnie sighed and they all walked over. Rick began picking up various weapons and explaining how they worked.

"So this works with compressed air," he said, picking up a weapon with multiple stakes in it. "The trigger mechanism is up here. I have two of these in a different size." He placed it down on the table, and picked up what looked like an arm band with two stakes on it.

"For you," he said to Stefan and I. "I recommend this; it fits nicely under the jacket sleeve. You use the trigger when you're ready."

He pushed the little trigger and the stake flew into his hand. He pushed it forward like he was staking someone. I looked at him surprised, and he shrugged.

"You wanted me to show you how to kill a vampire," he said. Miranda picked up one of the crossbows.

"You must be really enthusiastic about this Rick," she said. "How did you find this stuff; you can't exactly get them all at a Wal-mart."

"Trust me, finding this stuff isn't easy." He replied. "Think black market stuff…army surplus."

"How did you learn to use all of it?" Jeremy asked.

"Practice," Rick said. "Lots of practice."

"Well, we're just going to have to cram, then." I replied. "Because we need to be ready by tonight."

"Stefan, can we talk?" Bonnie asked.

"Sure, let's go," he replied, and they walked away.

"I'll put some of them in a bag, and then you guys can bring it to the party with you," Rick said.

Once Stefan and Bonnie got back, Rick sighed and dropped the bag on the couch. "Are you sure you don't want me there tonight?"

"No," Stefan replied. "I need you to stay with Elena. I don't want her to know about this."

"Okay," Rick nodded. "I'll make sure she doesn't leave my sight."

"If anyone wants to back out, I'll understand," Stefan said, looking around at all of us.

"Yeah, cold feet, speak now." I added. "I don't want this going wrong when someone chicken's out…Caroline."

"I won't," Caroline huffed. "Look, she killed me. Fair's fair. As long as there's no werewolf running around."

"We took care of Mason," Miranda replied.

"And as long as Tyler doesn't kill anyone, he won't turn." Jeremy added.

"Bonnie?" Stefan asked. "Are you with us?" She sighed and we waited for her answer.

"But no one gets hurt," she said.

"Except Katherine," I replied. "Tonight, Katherine gets a stake through her heart." We all nodded and Miranda pulled her keys out of her pocket.

"I'm going to head home and get ready," she said. "Caroline, do you need a ride home?"

"Sure, I'll go get my purse." She replied. "See you tonight guys." Caroline disappeared and Miranda waved goodbye before walking down the hall to the door. Her car horn honked and she sighed. "Seriously Caroline?"

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I pulled on my dress; everyone would be wearing black…and I like to stand out. It was a beautiful, form-fitting dress with a ruffled, one shoulder bodice. The reason I bought it was because of the material; it was a shimmery, pale floral pattern that looked almost golden from far away.

I kept my hair curly for the occasion, but I pinned my bangs back so I wouldn't be flipping them out of my eyes all night. I grabbed my mask and my clutch purse and walked downstairs to leave.

I got to the Lockwood's and parked in the long line of cars in the driveway. I quickly tied my mask on and walked to the party. Everyone attributed to a sea of dark colors; black, deep reds and other jewel tones.

I found Damon standing at the top of the garden, watching everyone. "Hi," I said with a smile.

"Do I know you?" he asked with a teasing smile on his lips. "You look very…delicious Miranda."

"Thanks," I said. "You look debonair. Have you seen her yet?"

"Nope," he replied. "She blends in with the crowd."

"Hey Damon, Miranda," Jeremy called to us. We turned and saw him waving us over. Damon grabbed my hand and pulled me along with him. "Everything's ready, Bonnie did the spell, and the bag is up there."

"Alright, we'll find Stefan and text you when we're ready," Damon said. "Come on." We walked through the crowd of dancing, drinking people.

"There he is," I said, pointing to a relatively secluded area. He stood there holding a girl in his arms; her body was limp. We ran over to him and he jumped.

"What happened?" Damon asked.

"Katherine happened." Stefan replied. "She killed her so we would give her the moonstone."

"You have to get rid of her and then meet us upstairs," I said. "Everything's ready." Stefan nodded and left.

"This isn't good," Damon said. "Hopefully everything else goes according to plan."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"I put the body in the trunk for now." Stefan said, walking into the room.

"We'll dump her when we get back," I replied.

"This is exactly what I didn't want, Damon," he said, pacing back and forth.

"It's just collateral damage," I reassured him.

"Right," Stefan nodded. "Which is why we need to call it off."

"What?" Miranda asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Hey," I said, holding his shoulders. "Don't do this to me! This woman ruined our lives, she destroyed us! Tonight it ends; we'll do it together. Miranda and I've got your back, alright?"

"Alright," Stefan relented. I let him go and took my phone out, texting Jeremy that it was time. Stefan, Miranda and I walked into the sealed room and took our places.

"Cozy closet, isn't it?" I asked Miranda as we waited for the signal. She tossed a stake back and forth between her hands.

"It's not chatting time Damon," she replied. "It's killing time." We could hear Caroline's fake cries from outside and we shut up immediately.

"Hello Katherine," Stefan greeted.

"Goodbye Katherine," Caroline said, her footsteps becoming faint.

"You don't really think you can kill me with that now, do you?" Katherine asked. I silently opened the closet door and pointed the stake gun at Katherine.

"No, but he can." Stefan replied, and I shot the stake at her. It lodged itself in her back and she bent over in pain. Stefan went towards her and tried to stake her, but she moved and it went into her arm. She pushed Stefan back into a chair, and I went and pulled the stake out of her back. Before I could get her, she sent me flying into the wall.

Miranda ran over and tried to stake Katherine, but Katherine held her back. "So much for strength Miranda," she taunted. Miranda nodded back over at Stefan, and when Katherine looked, Miranda knocked her backwards. Katherine got up and knocked the stake out of Miranda's hands.

Stefan used Rick's sleeve stake holder and threw one stake at Katherine—who ducked—and then the other. She caught the second one and threw it at him. I grabbed a stake from the floor and tried again, but she threw me into an arm chair. I got up, and I almost had her, but she grab my arm and twisted it around so she could stake me.

Miranda came up behind her and pulled her away. Stefan grabbed Katherine and then they fell to the floor; I was about to stake her when Jeremy stopped me.

"Stop!" he screamed. We all looked over at him. "You're hurting Elena; everything you're doing to her is hurting Elena." Katherine got up and smirked.

"You think you three are the only ones with a witch on your side? Wrong. And something tells me that my witch is better than your witch," Katherine said, grabbing the stake out of my hands.

"Jeremy, go check on Elena," Stefan said. "Make sure she's ok!" Jeremy nodded and left.

"Let's all make sure poor Elena is ok," Katherine said angrily. She pushed the stake to the palm of her hand and cut it open. "Just a little bit of pressure." Immediately, Stefan knocked it onto the floor.

She rushed across the room with another stake and positioned it over her stomach. "This is really gonna hurt."

"Stop it, that's enough," Miranda said, causing Katherine to shrug and toss it wherever. She walked over to the couch and sat down.

"So, how about that moonstone?" Katherine asked.

"Not gonna happen," I sneered at her. I walked over to the door and tried to put my hand outside, but the seal kept me in.

"The four of us together just like old times. The thorn in my side, the brother who loved me too much, and the brother that didn't love me enough," Katherine said.

"And the evil slut vampire who only loved herself," I sneered, looking at her.

"What happened to you Damon?" she asked. "You used to be so sweet and polite."

"Oh, that Damon died a long time ago," I replied.

"Good, he was a bore."

"This is like watching 12 hours of Teletubbies with a knife to my throat," Miranda groaned in annoyance, walking over to the window and looking outside.

"Where is the moonstone?" Katherine asked.

"Why do you want it?" Stefan asked in return. Katherine sighed.

"Does Elena enjoy having you worship at her alter, Stefan?" she asked.

"Oh, stop it," Stefan sighed.

"Or what? You'll hurt me?" she replied. "Everything that I feel, Elena feels, so go ahead. Or better yet, kiss me Damon, she'll feel that too."

"Can she feel psychological pain?" Miranda snapped. "Because if not, I know a few tricks that would make anyone break down and beg for death." I walked over to Miranda and took her in my arms, running my fingers through her hair while she took a deep breath.

"Sorry," she whispered. "She just really…gets on my nerves." I stepped away and kept her hand in mine.

"You know," Stefan began. "This whole Mason thing has me a bit confused. Why a werewolf? The moonstone can break a curse that would help them destroy all vampires, so what's in it for you?"

"Sorry about your pet wolf," I told Katherine. "You should have been sure to keep him on a tighter leash."

"I'll have to remember that for next time," she replied. "He's not the only wolf in town."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"Damn it!" Damon swore. "Where is that witch?" I began pacing, my hands on my hips.

"We could play charades," Katherine suggested.

"How about not," I replied.

"You bargained the moonstone," Stefan said.

"What are you mumbling about over there?" Damon asked, looking over at him.

"When you struck a deal with George Lockwood to help you fake your death, you told me that you gave George something he needed. It was the moonstone, wasn't it?" Stefan asked.

"Good for you, Stefan. 2+2…and it would have worked, except people found out that I wasn't in the tomb." She looked at Damon. "Thanks to you, by the way. Have I mentioned how inconvenient your little obsession with me has been?"

"You and me both honey," Damon replied, drinking from his glass.

"Why do you need it back?" Stefan asked.

"I love you in a suit," she dodged. "So dashing."

"What were you doing with it in the first place?" he kept trying.

"You're wasting your breath, Stefan," Damon said.

"Unless it wasn't yours to begin with. In 1864 you faked your death," Stefan continued. "Who were you running from Katherine?" I stopped abruptly, a memory flashing to the front of my mind. I remembered where I had heard of the moonstone before, and… this wasn't good.

"In 1987," Katherine said to Stefan. "You were in Chicago, at a concert of all places…with that wench Lexi. Come on, Stefan, don't look so surprised. Of course I checked on you over the years. You were standing in the front row, dancing all night. You were watching Bon Jovi, and I was watching you."

"Who were you running from?" Stefan pressed on.

"Why don't you ask Miranda," Katherine replied, looking over at me with a smirk. "I'm sure she knows." She looked back at Stefan and mouthed "I love you" to him before going to sit down again. Elena or not, I was going to stake that bitch as soon as I got a chance.

"We're missing the party," Katherine moaned as she looked out the window. "I'll have one of those." She said when she saw Damon pouring himself a drink.

"Right away Miss Katherine," he replied, clearly annoyed. He handed her the glass and she smirked.

"Thank you," she said, drinking from it. All of a sudden, Damon had Katherine pinned to the wall, and Stefan was the only thing keeping him from staking her. I stayed back watching, amused.

"Damon don't," Stefan groaned, having trouble holding him back.

"Yes, Damon, please," Katherine laughed.

"The second the spell is lifted," Damon said. "I'm going to drive this stake right through your heart."

"God, you're hot," Katherine said. "When did you get so hot?" Damon let her go and let the stake drop to the ground. He walked away and over to me.

"She's really getting on my nerves," he whispered.

"Tell me about it." I smiled.

"Katherine," a voice said from the door. We all turned to see a tall woman standing there with the moonstone in her hand. "The spell on this room has been broken, you're free to leave."

"Thank god," Katherine sighed. She walked over to the woman and stopped.

"When I hand this over, my debt to you is over."

"Done," Katherine agreed.

"I owe you nothing," she continued.

"I said done. Give it." Katherine huffed.

"I wouldn't do that," Damon warned. Katherine took the moonstone and after a second, she began gasping for breath.

"You should have told me another witch was involved," the woman said. Katherine held her throat and fell to the floor, gasping. "She's a Bennett witch Katherine, but I'm sure you knew that." The woman turned to leave and Stefan stopped her.

"Wait, Elena!" he said.

"Elena's fine," she nodded. "The spell is broken, she'll heal quickly. Bonnie's with her. I apologize for my involvement." I looked at Katherine, and she lost consciousness. I walked over to the door and stepped out of the room easily.

"What are we going to do with her?" I asked, pointing to Katherine.

"The tomb," Damon said. "She deserves to rot in there." I nodded.

"Alright, we'll put her in the tomb," Stefan said. Damon picked her up and carried her out, presumably to his car. I grabbed my clutch from under one of the destroyed chairs and when I stood up, Stefan was watching me.

"What did Katherine mean when she said "why don't you ask Miranda,"" he asked.

"I don't know," I replied. I went to leave and Stefan stopped me.

"Are you sure?"

"You can trust me Stefan," I replied with a small smile. "I don't know what she was talking about." I moved around him and headed for the door.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I drove to the tomb and carried Katherine inside; I had called Bonnie and she agreed to put a seal on it once I got out so Katherine couldn't escape.

I stood outside and waited for her to wake up. I heard her gasp and start to get up; she was struggling once she got to the seal.

"Hello Katherine," I said, walking to the door so she would see me.

"Where am I?" she asked

"Where you should have been all along," I replied. "I thought you'd learn your lesson by now, messing with a Bennett witch."

"You should have killed me," she said.

"Death would have been to kind," I snapped. "After everything you've done to Stefan, to Elena and her family…to Miranda and I." I went over to the door and started to push it closed.

"No, Damon, don't!" she gasped. "Don't don't, you need me. Elena's in danger." I stopped and looked at her.

"From who?" I asked, and she stayed silent. "You're lying, you're always lying."

"Why do you think I haven't killed her?" Katherine asked. "Because she's the doppelganger; she needs to be protected."

"Then we'll protect her, while you rot in hell," I said. I closed the tomb door and left, listening to her cries.

"Damon, don't! I'll do anything please!" They got fainter as I got further away. "Damon! You need me!"

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I walked towards my car, waving goodbye to the people who I recognized. I heard footsteps in the gravel behind me. I quickly turned around and saw no one there. I shrugged and kept walking.

I paid closer attention to my surroundings and heard the second set of footsteps again. I felt a pinprick in my neck and I reached up to it. I started feeling…woozy and everything became hazy. I felt another one and everything went black.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews are always appreciated, and they let me know that you want more so I can update faster! More to come soon.**


	31. Kidnapped

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Trevor's POV**

I parked in the open lot, waiting for the man I compelled to arrive. I saw the black sedan drive up and park next to me. The man got out and walked around to my window, which I rolled down enough so he could see me.

"Where are they?" I asked.

"In the trunk, I did exactly what you said." He replied in the compulsion-induced daze.

"Good, put them in the back." He nodded and went around, opening the trunk of my SUV, before walking back to his car. I watched as he picked up the doppelganger and carried her over to the trunk.

He went back again and opened the back seat, lifting Miranda up and carrying her over as he did with the doppelganger. He shut the trunk and came back to the window; I smirked.

"Thank you for your help," I said.

"Is there anything else?" he asked.

"One more thing." I replied, rolling the window down all the way. "Come closer, please. Closer." I attacked him, pulling him into the car somewhat as I drained him of his blood. I let him drop to the ground when I was done, and I wiped my lips.

I rolled up the window and drove away.

* * *

**Elena's POV**

I woke up when I felt like I was being carried; I remembered someone knocking me out in the Lockwood's driveway. Opening my eyes, I saw a man in a hat and sunglasses carrying me.

"Please," I said. He carried me into a room, and I saw Miranda unconscious, sitting upright on a couch. The man brought me over and put me down on the couch before untying my hands and feet.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Shhh," he replied.

"Please, I'm hurt," I said.

"I know," he replied. His eyes became dark and his fangs elongated. "Just a taste," he said, leaning in towards me. I screamed for a second and then he backed away.

"Trevor!" a woman scolded as she walked into the room. "Control yourself."

"Buzz kill," he said, getting up and leaving. The woman walked over to Miranda and injected her with something.

"What are you doing to her?" I asked.

"This is to keep her from waking up and killing us all," she replied without looking at me.

"What do you want with us?" The woman looked over and became dumbstruck.

"My god, you look just like her." She said and I knew she was talking about Katherine.

"But I'm not," I replied. "Please, whatever you—"

"Be quiet!" she exclaimed.

"But I'm not Katherine." I said standing. "My name is Elena Gilbert; you don't have to do this."

"I know who you are, I said be quiet."

"What do you want?" I asked. The woman backhanded me and I fell back onto the couch, the world going black.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

_I opened my eyes at the sound of a dish breaking; I was sitting by myself at a table in a diner. This couldn't be right…_

_ "Mimi!" I heard someone call. "I knew you would meet us here for breakfast!" I turned around and saw Em and Will, but they were young; they looked like they were in their thirties._

_ "How are you?" Will asked, kissing my cheek._

_ "Uh…"_

_ "She's probably still half asleep," Em said, slapping his arm. They sat down across the booth from me._

_ "I'm fine," I smiled._

_ "What looks good?" she asked, pointing at the table. I looked down and saw that I had been reading a menu._

_ "Coffee, definitely." I said, laughing. I looked up and saw a man get up at the counter. His hair was slicked back, and he wore a clean cut grey pinstripe suit. When he walked past our booth to go to the back of the diner, he waved hello and I recognized him._

_ "Tommy?" I whispered._

_ "What was that?" Will asked._

_ "Nothing, I just have to go use the bathroom." I replied. "Order something good for me, will you?"_

_ "Sure," Em replied with a smile._

_ I walked to the back of the diner and through the back door, following him._

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I stood outside of the high school with Stefan, calling Miranda for the sixth time.

"Miranda, when you get this, call me back. Elena's missing, and we need your help," I said into the voicemail. When I hung up, I looked at Stefan. "I can't get her."

"This has Katherine written all over it," Stefan said.

"Katherine's in the tomb," I told him. "Trust me; I'm the one who shut her in."

"Did you?" he asked.

"Did I what, Stefan?"

"Well, I know the hold that Katherine has on you," he replied.

"She's in the tomb, period," I said. "End of story, but she did say something to me right before I shut her in. I thought she was lying."

"What did she say?" Stefan asked.

"Elena's in danger," I replied.

"What?" Stefan exclaimed. "And you didn't think you should ask her to elaborate?"

"Everything she says is a lie," I said. "How am I supposed to know she was going to start spouting out the truth?"

"We have to go talk to her," Stefan said.

"No," I exclaimed. "Let me tell you how that's gonna go: we're gonna go ask her for help, she's gonna negotiate her release which we're going to be dumb enough to give her. Then she's gonna get out and kill us! This is exactly what she wants!"

"Fine," Stefan nodded. "What about Miranda?"

"What do you mean "what about Miranda"? We can't get her on the phone," I replied. "How is she going to help us?"

"No…last night, I asked Katherine who she was running from and she said "ask Miranda". I asked her and she said she didn't know…but there was something…"

"You're not seriously suggesting that _Miranda_ took Elena," I said.

"It makes sense," Stefan tried to convince me. "Miranda acts kinda suspicious, Elena disappears, Miranda isn't picking up her phone."

"You've gotta be kidding me," I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Do you want to just go over to Miranda's house and see if she's there? Maybe she's sleeping or something."

"Fine," Stefan relented. "You drive."

When we got to Miranda's house, the first thing I noticed was that her car wasn't in the driveway.

"Convinced yet?"

"Shut up," I said to Stefan as we got out of the car. I walked over to the front door and tried it; locked. I twisted it until the lock broke, and it opened easily. Stefan and I walked inside; there was something off, and I could sense it.

"She's not here Damon," Stefan said. I shook my head and ran upstairs to her room with Stefan right on my heels. I opened the door and scanned the room.

"Bingo," I said, pointing to the bed. There was a pair of jeans and a t-shirt laid out neatly on the bed, and the sheets didn't look crumpled at all. I walked over to the side table and opened up the drawer. "And here is the one piece of evidence that proves she didn't take Elena." I picked up one of the blood bags in the drawers.

"And that's supposed to mean something to me?" Stefan asked.

"If she left, she wouldn't just leave good blood behind; she would pack it up in a cooler and take it with her." I explained.

"Ok," Stefan sighed. "If Miranda has regular clothes on the bed, and her car isn't here, then that means she didn't come home last night."

A sense of dread filled me, and I ran back downstairs. On the hall table sat her answering machine; the little red button blinked obnoxiously and I pressed it.

"Hi Miranda, it's Carol Lockwood. I don't know if you were having some car trouble last night or if you went home with someone else, but your car is still in my driveway. You don't need to worry about it being towed or anything; there are a lot of other cars here. I just wanted to let you know. See you soon."

* * *

**Elena's POV**

"How's the girl?" I slowly woke up to hear the two vampires talking loudly.

"Still passed out."

"You didn't touch her?" the woman asked.

"Give me _some_ credit," the man replied. "So, did you call him?"

"No, I called one of his contacts," she said. "You know how this works."

"Did you or did you not get the message to Elijah?" I got up and slowly made my way down the hall; if I could just get out without them knowing, I could go get help. I saw them and stopped.

"They say he got it."

"Wonderful, and what?" the man asked.

"So that's it Trevor." The woman replied. "He either got it or he didn't. We just have to wait." I tried to walk to the door without making any noise.

"Look, it's not too late," Trevor said. "We can leave them here; we don't have to go through with this."

"I'm sick of running," the woman exclaimed.

"Yeah? Well running keeps us from dying."

"Elijah's old school," she said. "If he accepts our deal, we're free." I stepped on a creaky floor board and they turned to look at me.

"You!" the woman said, walking over to me. "There's nothing around here for miles. If you think you're getting out of this house, you're tragically wrong; understand?"

"Who's Elijah?" I asked.

"He's your worst nightmare," she replied, walking away. I turned and went back to the room where I was before. Miranda looked dead; she was barely moving or breathing. She still had on the dress she wore for the Masquerade Ball, and I noticed her clutch purse; the chain was wrapped around her wrist.

I moved over and opened it, hoping her phone would be inside. She had to have it; she was always using her phone. Phone, yes. Battery, dead. How unlucky could I get today?

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

_"Tommy," I called after him. pushing through the back door of the diner. "Thomas Patterson, you get back…here?" Instead of finding an old parking lot, I was standing in a field with the sun shining brightly. The skies were clear and blue, and I could hear the crashing waves from the beach faintly. Home._

_ Everything looked…bigger. "Come on, Miranda," I heard a familiar voice. "No time for games." I turned around and saw my brother approaching me; my eyes went wide. This couldn't be real; nothing made sense. My brother was dead, Tommy was dead, and my home was nothing more than a layer of dust buried for hundreds of years._

_ "Do you know how hard it is for me to go against father's orders?" he asked. He grabbed my hand and pulled me through the field, to a path that led into the forest. I looked around, and caught someone watching us; his face was obstructed from my view. I waved at him happily, my actions completely out of my control._

"_Who are you looking at?" my brother asked. He looked around and sighed. "This is why they think you can see demons. Come along."I looked back to see that the man watching us was gone._

_ I remembered this day, those eyes in the shadows; I was only five-years old, but this memory would stay in my head for the rest of my life. This was the day my brother was murdered in front of my eyes._

* * *

**Damon's POV**

We had been driving for a little over two hours after leaving the school, and there was no word from Jeremy yet. I didn't believe the witch couldn't pinpoint Elena and Miranda's location; it would've been easier to search on foot. I looked over at Stefan to see him fiddling with something Alaric gave him.

"Alaric sure likes his weapons," I said. "What the hell is that?"

"I don't know," Stefan replied. "It's a vervain bomb or grenade or something like that."

"Weird."

"How much further is it?" Stefan asked.

"About 80 miles." I replied.

"Who do you think took them?" Stefan asked. I sighed; that question had been on my mind the whole time.

"Someone from Katherine's past," I shrugged. "She said she was running from someone. Maybe they grabbed Elena by mistake."

"What about Miranda?"

"Well, Katherine and Miranda obviously hate each other; it's probably just something involving both of them."

"Thank you," Stefan said after a few seconds.

"Not doing this for you," I replied. "Elena's my friend; she doesn't deserve to get kidnapped because she looks like Katherine. And Miranda…I just want her back."

I turned back to the road and focused on my thoughts.

_Thunder rumbled loudly, waking me; there was a soft pattering of rain on the windows and I looked at Miranda to find she was still sleeping peacefully._

_ "You're staring," she said, opening her eyes and looking at me._

_ "It's worth it, no matter how impolite it is," I replied with a smile. Miranda laced our fingers together. "Won't your parents wonder where you are?"._

_ "It's early," she replied with a smirk. "They won't even know I'm gone."_

_ I slowly traced the embroidered patterns on Miranda's corset, and she growled lightly. In a flash, she had me pinned to the bed as she straddled me; I ran my hands up her thighs and let them rest on her hips._

_ "I'm a bad influence on you," I smiled._

_ "I'm afraid you have it backwards," Miranda replied slyly. She leaned down and pressed her nose to my throat, inhaling deeply._

_ "Do you need blood?" I asked, whispering in case anyone was listening._

_ "No," she replied. "I have a secret."_

_ "I know," I said. "You're a vampire."_

_ "Not that," she laughed. Her lips grazed over my ear and she gently whispered, "I love you, Damon."_

"What's with the smile?" Stefan asked. I realized I was smiling and I looked over at him, shaking my head.

"Sorry. None of your business, little bro," I replied. Once I had Miranda back, I was going to get another chance at happiness; this time I wasn't going to let anything screw it up.

* * *

**Elena's POV**

I stood at the doorway of another room, watching the woman—whose name I figured out was Rose—opened lamps and covered windows so the sun wouldn't come in.

"Why are we here?" I asked.

"You keep asking me these questions like I'm going to answer them," she replied.

"Why won't you?"

"That's another one."

"It's not like I can go anywhere; the least you can do is tell me what you want with me."

"I personally want nothing," she said. "I'm just a delivery service."

"Delivery to who?" I asked. "Elijah?"

"Two points for the eavesdropper," Rose laughed.

"Who is he? Is he a vampire?"

"He's one of _the_ vampires; the originals."

"The curse?" I asked. "The sun and moon curse?"

"Oh," Rose exclaimed. "You do know your history."

"What do you mean I'm the key? The moonstone is what breaks the curse."

"No, the moonstone is what binds the curse," she corrected. "The sacrifice is what breaks it."

"Sacrifice?"

"The blood of the doppelganger; you are the doppelganger. Which means in order to break the curse, you are the one who has to die."

"Tell me more," I demanded as Trevor walked into the room.

"Captivity has made her pushy, eh?" he asked Rose. "What do you want to know doppel-icious?"

"Who were you running from?" I asked.

"The Originals," he replied.

"Yeah, she said that. What does it mean?"

"The first family, the old world." Trevor replied. "Rose and I pissed them off."

"Mmm mmm," Rose said.

"Correction," Trevor said. "_I_ pissed them off. Rose had my back for over half a millennium. They want us dead."

"What did you do?" "He made the same mistake countless others did," Rose answered for him. "He trusted Katerina Petrova."

"Katherine," I whispered.

"The one and only," Rose nodded. "The first Petrova doppelganger."

"I helped her escape her fate, and now I've—sorry, we've—been marked out ever since." Trevor added.

"Which is why we're not going to make the same mistake again," Rose told him.

"But why did you take Miranda?" I asked. "She has nothing to do with the curse, does she?"

"No. Let's just say she's an added incentive," Rose replied. "In case you don't secure our pardon."

"But why?" I asked.

"You obviously don't know who she is if you're asking that question." Rose laughed. "I had always thought she was a fairytale, until I saw her kill."

"She's a demon," Trevor said menacingly. "A legend."

"What did she do?" I asked.

"She can kill thousands without thinking twice about it," Rose replied, the fear evident in her voice. "She has no feeling, and no mercy, which is why we're keeping her sedated until we hand you both over to Elijah. Then she'll be his problem."

She and Trevor left the room and I went back to where I left Miranda. She didn't look like a monster; she was always so kind and sweet.

I sat on the couch and heard a crunching noise; I got up and saw it was a piece of notebook paper. "That wasn't here before," I muttered, sitting back down. I opened it up and became slightly relieved as I read it.

_ Stefan and Damon are coming for you. –B_

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed it.**** Review and I'll update sooner.**


	32. Rescued

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

_I watched my brother, taking in his features for the first time in such a long time. He was around…18 if I had to guess. He had honey blond hair, just like our mother, but we had the same green eyes._

_ "We're almost there, don't worry," my brother said with a reassuring smile. "I won't let anything happen to you, Miranda."_

_ I spotted the man's eyes watching us. I remembered the fear I felt when I first saw those eyes, but my curiosity outweighed it marginally._

_ When I stopped, my brother looked around with a disturbing look on his face._

_ "Who's there?" he called out. When no one answered, he pulled me along, walking quickly. "I won't let anything happen to you."_

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"Getting close," Stefan said. "Jeremy said there's an access road just past mile marker 6."

I reached into the backseat of the car and grabbed a blood bag I had brought with me. I put the straw into my mouth and drank from it. I noticed Stefan watching me and I looked at him.

"If you want some, just ask," I told him.

"I want some," he replied.

"Ah, it's so sweet," I said. "You're gonna be all big and strong to save your girl. Don't worry, it'll be fine."

"I'm not joking," he replied. "I've been drinking a little every day; slowly increasing my intake and building up my strength." I shrugged, handing him the blood bag and he started drinking.

"Does Elena know you're drinking blood?" I asked.

"I've been drinking hers," he replied.

"Hmm, how romantic." I said. "Remember the days when all you lived for was blood? You were the guy who ripped someone apart just for the fun of it."

"You mean when I was more like you?" he asked.

"Yes, Stefan, exactly." I replied. "Back when you put blood into me so I could be a big bad vampire. What happened to you?"

"What happened to _you_?" Stefan asked. "You haven't killed anybody in a while."

"Mason Lockwood," I replied.

"He doesn't count; we were going to kill him anyways. You've been sticking strictly to blood bags."

"So?"

"So, you're not acting like Big Bad Damon," Stefan observed. "You're Almost Tolerable Damon."

"I could go and find someone to slaughter if you'd like."

"I'm being serious," Stefan said.

"So am I," I replied.

"It's Miranda, isn't it?" he asked. "You've finally accepted that you have feelings for her."

"Maybe I did," I replied. "Does it matter?"

"It does," Stefan nodded. "You've finally moved on from Katherine."

"Thank you for joining the party late Stefan," I said. "As usual."

* * *

**Rose's POV**

I grabbed my bag and put it on one of the armchairs; I kept myself calm, even though I was shaking inside. I was keeping Miranda—a vampire with legends of destruction and prophecies of annihilation to her name—unconscious, just so I could hand her over to Elijah, who was on his way here right now.

"He's here," Trevor exclaimed, running into the room. "This was a mistake."

"No," I replied. "I told you I would get us out of this. You have to trust me."

"No! He wants me dead, Rose!"

"He'll want them more," I tried to convince him.

"I can't do this," Trevor replied. "You give her to him; he'll have mercy on you, but I need to get out of here." I stopped him.

"Hey, what are we?" I asked.

"We're family," he said, calming down. "Forever." There was a loud knock from the front door.

"You're scared," Elena said.

"Stay here with them," I told Trevor. "And don't make a sound." I quickly ran up the steps and out of the room to go meet Elijah. I got to the front door to find that he had already opened it, and was looking around.

"Rose Marie," he greeted me. "Is there somewhere we can talk?"

"Yes," I nodded, motioning to the next room. "In here. You have to forgive the house."

"Oh, no." he smiled, walking inside. "What's a little dirt? I completely understand. So tell me, what is it that gave you the courage to call me?"

"I wanted my freedom," I replied. "I'm tired of running. You are in a position to grant me that?"

"I have complete authority to grant pardon to you and your little pet. What's his name these days? Trevor." He replied. "If I so see fit."

"Katerina Petrova?" I asked. He looked over at me with interest.

"I'm listening," he nodded, sitting down.

"She didn't burn in the church in 1864." I told him.

"Continue."

"She survived."

"Where is she?" he asked.

"You don't seem surprised by this," I observed.

"Oh, when you called and invited me into this armpit of civilization, which is a mere 3 hours from the town we know as Mystic Falls, I surmised it had everything to do with Katerina," he replied. "Do you have her in your possession?"

"No, but I have better," I replied. "I have her doppelganger."

"That's impossible," Elijah scoffed. "Her family line ended with her; I know that for a fact."

"The facts are wrong," I denied.

"Well, show her to me."

"Elijah, you are a man of honor. You can be trusted, but I want to hear you say it again." I said.

"You have my word," he replied, getting up. "I will pardon you."

"Follow me," I said, turning and walking away. I led him into the room and he stood there, staring at Elena. In a blur, he was suddenly in front of her. I could see the fear in her eyes as he leaned in and pressed his nose into her neck, inhaling.

"Human," he said. "It's impossible."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

_I remember having to run to keep up with my brother on my short toddler legs, but now I could keep up the pace._

_ "What's going on?" I asked._

_ "Nothing," he replied, quietly. Suddenly, he let go of my hand and looked around, listening carefully to our surroundings. "I can hear you; show yourself!"_

_ "Show yourself," a deep voice echoed through the trees, almost carried by the wind. I stood there, watching and waiting for the inevitable. _

_ In a flash, something jumped out into the clearing and attacked my brother, and within a few seconds, he was lying there, staring at me lifelessly. I stared into his eyes, so familiar and yet, so foreign. I looked up at my brother's killer, and saw the man—the vampire—who had been following us all along._

_ "What did you do to him?" I asked._

_ "He was lying," the man replied._

_ "What did you do to him?" I repeated._

_ "I killed him," he replied. "You don't need to be afraid of me."_

_ "I'm not."_

_ "You are either very brave," he said, smirking. "Or very innocent. He was going to kill you, you know."_

_ "What?"_

_ "Maybe you don't understand," he replied, suddenly in front of me. "Your brother was going to kill you." Time almost stood still as I felt my eyes sting with tears; I didn't remember this. This didn't happen—it couldn't have happened; my brother and I were…we were going to one of the farms outside of the town. I felt the vampires cold hand cup my cheek and force me to look at him._

_ "You are going to forget what you saw, and everything I told you," He said, compelling me. I tried to pull my gaze away from his, but found myself unable to look away from his dark eyes. "You're safe now. I'll make sure you stay safe."_

* * *

**Elena's POV**

"I'm safe now," I heard a soft whisper. I looked back to see that Miranda was still unconscious.

"What do we have here?" Elijah asked, stepping around me. "Oh…this is unbelievable." He moved a strand of hair that was in Miranda's face behind her ear and her nose twitched. He turned and looked at Rose.

"I assume you were going to tell me you had her in your possession as well?" Elijah asked.

"Of course," Rose stammered, and he looked back at me.

"Well, we have a long journey ahead of us; we should be going."

"Please, don't let him take us…please," I begged, looking over at Rose.

"One last piece of business and we're done," he said, walking toward Trevor.

"I've waited so long for this day, Elijah," Trevor told him with tears in his eyes. "I'm truly, very sorry."

"Oh, no." Elijah replied. "Your apologies are not necessary."

"Yes, it is. You trusted me with Katerina and I failed you," Trevor said.

"Oh yes, you are the guilty one and Rose aided you because she was loyal to you," he replied, looking at Rose. "That I honor. Where was your loyalty?"

"I beg your forgiveness."

"So granted," Elijah stated. Trevor smiled meekly, and I almost screamed when Elijah knocked Trevor's head right off of his body; Rose cried out in pain.

"You!" she exclaimed, starting to approach him. She started sobbing.

"Don't, Rose, now that you are free" Elijah stopped her. He looked over at me. "Come."

"What about the moonstone?" I asked as he walked back towards me.

"What do you know about the moonstone?" he asked.

"I know that you need it, and I know where it is." I told him, hoping to stall for time.

"Yes," he nodded.

"I can help you," I continued.

"Tell me where it is," he replied.

"It doesn't work that way," I said.

"Are you negotiating with me?" he asked, amused. He looked over at Rose, who shook her head.

"It's the first I've heard of it." She said. Elijah looked back at me, and then down at my necklace.

"What is this vervain doing around here?" he asked. He grabbed my necklace and tossed it to the floor. I tried to turn my head to avoid his eyes, but he forced me to look at him.

"Where is the moonstone?" he asked. I had to answer him, I couldn't lie.

"In the tomb, under the church ruins," I replied.

"What is it doing there?" His eyes were hypnotic, and I couldn't look away.

"It's with Katherine," I said. He let me go and I felt free again.

"Interesting," he replied. There was a loud, crashing sound coming from somewhere in the house.

"What is that?" he asked.

"I don't know," Rose replied.

"Who else is in this house?"

"I don't know." Rose repeated. Elijah grabbed my arm and pulled me forward. I looked back at Miranda, who was moving very slowly, on the verge waking up.

"We'll get her after I deal with this," Elijah said.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

_"You're safe now." I felt him caressing my hair gently. "Let's get you home."_

"Miranda," I heard someone whisper and shake me. I knocked their hand away. "You have to wake up,_ now_!" I groggily opened my eyes and saw Damon standing over me; looking around I noticed we were in a strange room.

"I'm not dreaming, am I?" I asked quietly.

"Unfortunately not," he replied, picking me up bridal style. "But there's no time to chat; we have a little situation that needs handling." I felt the air rush by my face and Damon put me down gently. I was having some trouble standing, but I figured it was because I was only wearing one shoe. I was shocked to see that I was still in my dress from the masquerade…what the hell happened?

"Where are we?" I asked. Damon put his hand over my mouth and then put a finger to his lips to tell me to be quiet. Then suddenly he was gone.

"Up here!" I heard faintly, my senses coming back.

"Down here!" I recognized it as Damon's voice. Suddenly he was back, with a woman; her eyes went wide as she saw me, but Damon shushed her.

"Excuse me!" Someone called out; I knew that voice. "To whom it may concern. You're making a great mistake if you think you can beat me. You can't."

"He's going to kill us all." The woman whispered to Damon.

"I repeat, you cannot beat me. So I want them both…I'm gonna count to 3 or heads will roll." There was a sound of wood breaking. "Do we understand each other?"

"I'll go with you," Elena said. Elena was here too? "Just please, leave my friends alone. They just wanted to help me." There was a small explosion and then screaming. I blinked and Damon was gone, leaving me with the woman. There were a few shot-like noises, and some bangs. I took the other shoe off and took a few steps forward.

The woman grabbed my arm to stop me; I shrugged her off and kept going. As soon as I looked into the main room, I saw Damon stake a vampire with a large, broken coat rack, pinning him to the door.

I walked toward the dead vampire, oblivious to everything else in the room, and my eyes widened in shock.

"Elijah," I whispered; I was seeing it, but I wasn't believing it.

"You ok?" Damon asked, grabbing my hand and pulled me into a hug. I looked at Elijah over his shoulder, and almost shivered with fear.

"Home sweet home," I sighed, lifting the glass of blood to my lips; my mind was racing with thoughts and images, and I could barely concentrate on one. Why would my brother want to kill me that day; he was the one person I thought I could look up to for all these years for his courage and honor.

I heard music drift upstairs and opened my eyes; I didn't touch anything except for the cabinet and the fridge when I got home, which meant—

"I swear to God," I muttered, placing the glass on the nightstand, getting off the bed and going downstairs.

"I thought that would get your attention," Damon said as soon as I walked into the dining room. He was sitting in one of the chairs with his feet propped up on the table; I rolled my eyes. "They must have injected you with a lot of vervain, because I've been sitting here for fifteen minutes and nothing."

"I asked you to drop me off at the Lockwood's for a reason," I replied, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I thought that was so you could get your car," Damon shrugged. In a flash, Damon's arms were around my waist and we were swaying back and forth.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"We didn't get to dance at the Masquerade Ball," he replied. "I thought we could make up for the lost opportunity."

"Since when are you so…chick flick-y?" I asked.

"Do you want to stop?" he asked; I sighed and rested my head against his shoulder.

"Not really," I replied, and Damon laughed. "Shut up; you're comfy."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"I have something to ask you," I said after a few minutes, the question eating me up inside since we started driving back home a few hours earlier.

"Ask away," Miranda replied.

"Did you ever think about turning me," I asked. "You know, before Katherine screwed with our lives."

"Of course," she replied, pulling back and looking me in the eye. "I loved you Damon; you know that. I wanted to spend eternity with you. Why are you asking me?"

"Curiosity," I replied, cupping her cheek in my hand and rubbing my thumb over her bottom lip gently. The word "mine" echoed in my head, over and over again. "I have a secret," I whispered.

"Everyone has secrets," Miranda replied slowly. I couldn't do this anymore; I wanted her—needed her; there was nothing standing in my way.

"No," I shook my head and leaned closer, my lips brushing over hers lightly as I spoke. "You don't know how angry I was when I realized that you were taken too, or how relieved I was when I killed that Elijah guy, because then you were safe."

"Good to know someone cares about me," she replied with a sweet smile.

"It's more than that," I said. "I'm in love with you." Miranda's eyes widened and she pushed me back; her mouth was open as if she was about to say something.

"Ok."

"Ok?"

"Ok," she repeated. "Know what?"

"What?" I asked.

"You are such a brave person," she replied with a hint of a smile on her lips. "Braver than I am; I was scared to even tell you I _liked_ you."

"Thanks."

"I think that's one of the reasons why I'm in love with you too." She continued, shocking the crap out of me; safe to say I wasn't expecting that. I was hoping for it, but I wasn't expecting it.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I was pleasantly shocked as my back hit a wall and Damon began kissing me; I wanted to scream. All the little thoughts buzzing around my head were muted by everything I was feeling. This felt…right—and as cheesy as it sounds—it felt like we belonged here together.

I enjoyed the feeling of his soft hair between my fingers, and sighed; I felt Damon's hands slip under the thin material of my tank top and pick me up, allowing me to wrap my legs around his waist. My hand moved up his chest and I began playing with the top button of his shirt. Damon growled as my fingers touched the skin that was revealed as I undid the buttons, and I smirked.

He pulled away and began placing kisses down my jaw to my neck. My eyes fluttered closed as I felt his fangs scrape against my skin, and I knew it caused a chain reaction—at least that's what it seemed like—when I felt _my_ fangs lengthen. I remembered what his blood tasted like when he was human—even though I had only fed from him one—and wondered what it would taste like now.

I shook the thought out of my head when Damon moved away from my neck and attacked my lips passionately. Damon's tongue swept across my bottom lip before he took it between his teeth, gently sucking on it, and I moaned in response. I slowly—and reluctantly—pushed him away, looking him in the eyes as we both took heavy unnecessary breaths.

I could almost see the emotions Damon had because they mirrored my own: love, elation, need, and even fear. Then he did the one thing that I assured that this wasn't a mistake—that we would be ok; it was something that I loved about him. He smiled.

I leaned forward again and softly kissed him as I slowly removed my legs from around his waist and placed my feet back on the floor. Damon gave me a confused look as I pushed him away from me.

I flashed across the room, undoing the braided pigtails I had put my hair into when I got home and changed; Damon watched me with intrigue as I backed out of the dining room and went down the hall to the stairs. I turned around to go upstairs and was shocked to see him already there, blocking my way.

"Couldn't let you have all the fun Miranda," Damon said, lifting up a piece of my hair and twirling it around his finger.

"Jerk," I laughed.

"Really?" he asked, leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on my lips.

"Hmm," I sighed, pulling away. "You're an arrogant…sarcastic…jerk." Damon's arms went around my waist and turned he us around so I was lying on the stairs and he was hovering over me; I felt his breath on my lips since he was so close. I pushed him away with more strength than I had anticipated because he tumbled backwards and landed on the floor with a shocked, yet smoldering look on his face.

"Didn't know you liked it rough," he smirked as I stood up and ran upstairs. I got to my room and spotted my half-full glass of blood on the nightstand; I picked it up and closed my eyes as I drank, trying to calm down a little bit. "Not gonna share?" I heard Damon ask and I opened my eyes, finding him right in front of me.

I shrugged and handed the glass to him; he finished the rest of the blood in one gulp and tossed the glass over his shoulder, letting it hit the carpet with a dull thunk. I felt a rush and when I opened my eyes, I was lying on my bed with Damon straddling me. His eyes darkened as I reached up and tugged on his shirt, throwing it to the floor once it was off.

Damon leaned forward and I felt his hands slide under my shirt, tugging it up as they moved; he looked at my lips and I smiled, revealing my fangs. He mimicked my action and I giggled lightly; his gaze moved up to my eyes.

"I love you," he whispered. "So much."

"I know," I replied. "I love you too." The phone rang and Damon let out an annoyed groan as he shot across the room and looked out the window. I sighed and got off the bed, grabbing my cell phone and handset for my house phone and walked over to my bedroom door. I threw them into the hallway and shut the door.

Damon turned around and gave me a confused look.

"If it's important, they can always call back." I said. "I don't feel like dealing with _any _interruptions tonight." Slowly, I turned the lock on the doorknob and Damon gave me a sly smirk, one I returned when he pulled the drapes shut.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed it. Review and let me know what you think!**


	33. I Spy a Dead Guy

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

_"I'm a monster!" I exclaimed, tears running down my cheeks. "You made me forget before; you have to do it again."_

_ "I can't."_

_ "Take away my pain, or kill me," I sobbed. I pulled the hunting knife from my belt and held it out to him._

_ "I'm sorry Miranda; I can't," he replied._

_ "TAKE IT AWAY!" I screamed._

My eyes shot open and I abruptly sat up, struggling to breath. I felt tears roll down my cheeks and I lifted my hand up, wiping them away angrily.

The room was dark and I was startled when the bed moved as Damon turned over in his sleep and he sighed. I watched him for a few seconds, and then I slowly got out of the bed, making sure he wouldn't wake up and see me like this. I walked over to the bathroom and silent shut the door behind me.

_"TAKE IT AWAY!" _The words echoed loudly in my mind.

* * *

Coffee equals happiness; I felt myself calm down exponentially as I sat cross-legged on my countertop and drank from a mug.

I closed my eyes and sighed; that nightmare had really shaken me up. I hadn't had nightmares that terrible in…forever. Why was I being haunted by my worst memories _now_? Why not right after they actually happened? It had to be because of Elijah; just seeing him dead must have loosened something in my mind.

"Damn it," I mumbled, shaking my head in frustration.

"Something wrong?" Damon's voice cut through my thoughts; I opened my eyes to find him standing in front of me, concern in his eyes.

"Nope," I lied, forcing a smile. He was dressed in the same outfit as yesterday, and was buttoning up his shirt as he watched me.

"It's…6 'o clock. Why are you up?"

"I'm an early riser," I shrugged. "What's your excuse?" Damon smirked and shrugged.

"I woke up and you weren't there. Regrets?"

"No," I replied. "You?"

"Never." His hands slid over my knees and onto my thighs as he leaned closer; an obnoxious buzzing disturbed us just as our lips were about to touch.

"Ignore it," he whispered. I laughed and reached into the pocket of his jeans, pulling out his phone and waving it in his face.

"Sorry," I replied. "Duty calls." Damon took the phone out of my hand and looked at the screen, rolling his eyes.

"I'm going to kick duty's ass." He smirked and I saw "STEFAN" flashing on the caller ID. He answered and put the phone to his ear. "I'm a little busy, Stefan. What do you want?" I pushed him away from me and jumped off the counter to put my empty mug into the sink.

"Yeah, whatever. We'll be there soon." Damon said. I turned around to find him right in front of me again, putting the phone back in his pocket. His put his arms on the counter, and pressed up against me; he was so close, I could feel his breath on my face.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Little situation at the boarding house," he replied. "We have time."

"I'm sure we do," I said sarcastically.

"You know," he smirked. "I'm actually disappointed in you."

"Oh really?" I asked. "Why?"

"Well, after a night of wild, hot, passionate sex," Damon began, his words causing me to shiver as he leaned closer. "I expected to wake up with you in my arms. Especially since we confessed our feelings to each other—"

"Something I don't think you do often, Mr. Mysterious and Brooding," I teased.

"So what gives? Coffee?"

"Doorknob," I replied. "Or has the fact that you broke it conveniently slipped your mind."

"One of the hazards of being a vampire in Mystic Falls," he smirked. His lips brushed over mine lightly and I smiled.

"I apologize," I said.

"Not necessary," he replied, his voice deep and seductive. "I'm sure there are going to be _many_ more mornings to make up for this one."

"I'm sure," I echoed before pushing him away. "Doorknob's fixed, I'm dressed, you're dressed…time to go."

"Such a tease," he smirked, grabbing my hand. "But I wouldn't have you any other way."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"Alright, what was the big, important situation?" I called out as Miranda and I walked into the boarding house.

"Thanks for joining us," Stefan replied, stepping into the hallway. The woman that kidnapped Elena stepped out behind him.

"No," I shook my head, tightening my grip on Miranda's hand. "Sorry. Not happening."

"Be nice," Miranda said.

"Rose has…information," Stefan explained. "She wants to help us protect Elena."

"Elijah's dead," I replied.

"Not from Elijah," Miranda muttered.

"From Klaus." Rose said, nodding.

"Klaus?" I asked. "Impossible."

"No," Rose shook her head. "Not impossible." The doorbell rang and we all turned to look at the door. Stefan sighed and opened it, revealing Elena.

"What's wrong? What happened?" she asked, walking inside.

"We need to talk," Stefan replied. Elena saw Rose and her eyes widened in shock.

"You!"

"Calm down," Stefan said, leading her into the library. "She's not here to hurt you."

"I came to warn you," Rose replied. "I only know what I've picked up over the years, and I don't know what's true and what's not true, but Klaus I know is real." Elena sighed and sat down on the sofa.

"Who is he?" Elena asked.

"He's one of the Originals." I replied. "He's a legend."

"From the first generation of vampires," Stefan added.

"Like Elijah," Elena said.

"No," Rose replied. "Elijah was the Easter Bunny compared to Klaus; he's a foot soldier. Klaus is the real deal."

"Klaus is the oldest." Miranda added.

"Ok, so the oldest vampire in the history of time is coming after me?"

"Yes," Rose nodded.

"No." Stefan objected.

"Look, if what she's saying is true—" I said.

"Which it is," Rose cut me off.

"And you're not saying it so we don't kill you—"

"Which I'm not."

"Then we're looking at a solid maybe." I concluded.

"Look, Elijah's dead, right? So no one else even knows that you exist." Stefan said.

"Not that you know of," Rose replied.

"And how exactly did_ you_ find out about her?" Miranda asked.

"Well…by accident."

"There you go," Miranda shrugged.

"Look, I've never even met anyone who's laid eyes on him." Stefan said. "I mean, we're talking centuries of truth mixed with fiction. We don't even know if he's real; for all we know, he could be some sort of stupid bed time story."

"_She_ was a "stupid bed time story" too," Rose said, motioning to Miranda. "And there she is, standing right next to all of us." Miranda sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I'm not the Goddess of Death am I?" she asked.

"But you agree with me, right? You've seen him; you know he's real!" Rose exclaimed.

"Yes," Miranda nodded. "Fine."

"You've seen Klaus?" I asked, surprised.

"It's not a good story," she shook her head. "Sharing time is later; focus on the matter at hand, please."

"Look," Rose sighed. "If you're not afraid of Klaus, then you're an idiot."

"Alright," I huffed. "We're shaking. You made your point." Elena sighed and got up.

"Where are you going?" Stefan asked.

"To school," she replied. "I'm late."

"Ok, let me grab my stuff. I'll go with you," Stefan said, getting up as well.

"It's ok," Elena stopped him. "I know where it is." She turned to leave and Miranda sighed.

"Hold on, Elena." She called out, following her. "I've got something to give you."

"What is it?" Elena asked. Miranda reached into her purse and pulled out Elena's vervain necklace.

"Found it when I was looking for my shoes," she replied. "It's not broken, and still chock-full of vervain-y goodness."

"Thank you," Elena smiled, taking the necklace, and then left.

"That went well," I said to Stefan, smirking.

"Shut up Damon." He scoffed.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I walked through the boarding house, having heard quiet sobs as I was looking through books in the library. I found Rose in the sitting room alone, crying.

"Are you ok?" I asked, and she jumped. "Sorry."

"No, it's alright," she shook her head. "I was just…thinking."

"I'm sorry for your loss," I said, sitting down across from her.

"It's not like he didn't…deserve it," Rose shrugged. "Still hurts, though."

"I know you, don't I?" I asked. "You and—what was his name—Trevor? I met you before."

"Yes," she replied. "We met before; I didn't know who you were at the time. I didn't associate you with the legends until I saw you kill that vampire."

"Usually I don't associate myself with those legends until I do something I regret." I replied sadly.

"You have emotions," Rose stated after a few seconds.

"Is that a surprise?" I asked, laughing.

"No…well, yes." She laughed. "I was expecting to come face to face with a robotic killer."

"Is that why you vervained me?" I asked.

"Will you kill me if I say yes?" she asked in return, laughing.

"Aw, isn't that sweet," I turned and saw Damon walking into the room. "Sorry to interrupt girl time, but we need to have a little chat."

"Patience is a virtue," I said, rolling my eyes. Rose pulled some tissues out of her bag and wiped her tears.

"Oh, don't tell me you're crying cause your buddy Trevor lost his head," Damon scoffed.

"Is he always this sensitive," Rose asked me.

"Ouch, can we get back to the original conversation?" Damon asked. "How do I find Klaus?"

"You don't find Klaus," Rose replied. "He finds you."

"Seriously?" Damon asked, looking at me.

"Unfortunately."

"Come on," he sighed. "Somebody's got to know somebody who knows where he is, right?"

"Add another two hundred somebody's and you're still not even close," Rose replied.

"You got in touch with Elijah; how did you do it?" Damon asked.

"Through a very low somebody on the totem pole. A guy named Slater in Richmond."

"Perfect," Damon exclaimed. "I'll drive." He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room with him.

"You forget, not all of us can do sun," Rose reminded him as she followed us.

"Then you drive," he replied. "Let's go."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"Why are you being such a creep?" Miranda whispered into my ear as I looked at what she was typing on her phone. I was sitting with her in the back seat of Rose's SUV, wanting to be close to her. It was like a magnetic pull; I had felt this when I was human too, the need to be next to her, holding her, kissing her.

"Because that's just who I am," I whispered back. She sighed and rolled her eyes at me.

"Don't I know it," she laughed. I smirked an looked out the window, noticing that Rose was driving into a parking garage. When she parked, Miranda and I got out and walked around to the other side.

"Back entrance," I observed. "How convenient."

"That's the point," Rose replied. "We all can't have little daylight rings."

"How do you know this Slater guy is even here?" I asked.

"I called him; he's here. He's always here."

"Good," I smirked and grabbed her, pushing her against one of the stone beams. "If you're setting us up in any way, I will rip your heart out and shove it down your throat. Its' something I'm very good at." Miranda sighed and then pushed me away from Rose, who then tried to come after me. Miranda pushed her back as well.

"Seriously?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"You can trust me," Rose told her.

"I know," Miranda nodded. "He just has a hard time getting things through that thick skull of his." Rose smirked and led us to the door to go inside. I wrapped my arm around Miranda's waist and pressed my lips to her neck.

"You know you love me just the way I am," I whispered.

"That's one of the many problems I'm dealing with," she teased, and we walked inside. Two things hit me as we stepped into the little shop; the smell of coffee, and the sunlight pouring into the room.

"Whoa," I exclaimed. "What about the sunlight?"

"Double paned and tempered," Rose replied. "UV rays can't penetrate. You see the appeal now?"

"That and the free Wi-Fi," another vampire said as he approached us. He and Rose hugged each other.

"How are you?" she asked.

"Good. I saw you come, what are you doing here?" he asked. This must have been Slater, her contact.

"Mmm, it's a long story. But I want you to meet—" she turned to Miranda and I, and Slater cut her off.

"Damon Salvatore. Turned 1864 in Mystic Falls by Katherine Pierce aka Katerina Petrova." Who the hell was this guy? He turned back to Rose. "So I take it I was right; what I told you about the tomb under the church was true."

"Yes, it was right," Rose nodded. "Thank you for the tip." Slater turned back to us and when his gaze landed on Miranda, he smiled.

"Miranda. The legend…the enigma. I did my research on you…out of curiosity, of course."

"Uh, thanks?" Miranda asked.

"Well it's nice to meet you both," Slater said. He held out his hand to me, and shook it, glaring at him. "Maybe. What's going on Rose? Where's Trevor."

"Well," Rose began. "It's a long story."

"He's dead," I informed him.

"What?" Slater asked.

"Elijah killed him," Rose explained.

"B-but…does that mean—"

"Elijah's dead," Miranda stated.

"I killed him," I shrugged. "No big deal."

"You're sure that he's dead?" Slater asked.

"Beyond dead," I replied. He sighed and led us over to a table by the front window.

"Trevor was a good man; he helped me with my dissertation on sexual deviance in the Baroque period." I gave him a questioning look. "I was going for my psych PHD."

"Slater's been in college since '74." Rose explained.

"Well good for you," Miranda smiled.

"Thanks; it was when I was turned. I have 18 degrees, 3 masters and 4 PHD's." he said proudly.

"The point?" I asked.

"Exactly," Slater replied. "I mean, what is the point? What should I be doing with my eternity? If you have an answer, please enlighten me." I rolled my eyes; this guy was really starting to get on my nerves.

"We need your help," Rose said. "If someone wanted to get in touch with Klaus, how would you hook him up?"

"Craigslist," Slater shrugged.

"Really?" I asked.

"That seems a little simple, doesn't it?" Miranda added.

"I'm serious." Slater replied. "I respond to a personal ad that gets sent to somebody who knows somebody who knows Elijah…who's dead. And that's where my connection ends."

"That's no help at all," I sneered at him.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"Here's what I don't get," Damon started. "Elijah moved around during the day, which means the original people knew the secret of the day ring. Now why would Klaus want to lift the curse of the sun and the moon?"

"To keep the werewolves from lifting it," Slater replied. "If a vampire breaks the sun curse, then the werewolves are stuck with the curse of the moon forever…and vice versa."

"But werewolves are extinct," Rose said.

"True, I've never seen one," Slater replied. "But rumor has it…"

"Not such a rumor," Damon cut him off.

"Mystic Falls?" Slater asked.

"Unfortunately." I replied.

"God, I've got to visit this place. It sounds awesome." He smiled.

"Can we stop the curse from being broken at all?" Damon asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if we make the moonstone useless, would it stop the curse from being broken?"

"Yeah, probably," Slater shrugged. "But why would you want to do that?"

I sighed and stopped listening to them bantering back and forth; sometimes, Damon would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. I looked past Rose and out the window, watching all the people who passed by.

I lifted my coffee cup up to my lips and my gaze stopped on a man who was dressed in a suit. Even though he was standing far away, I could see the smirk appear on his lips; Elijah.

"Impossible," I whispered.

"What's wrong?" Damon asked, placing his hand over mine. I opened my mouth to tell him, but I was stopped as the windows broke into thousands of little pieces and rained down on us. I fell out of my chair and the other vampires in the café started screaming; when I looked up, I saw that Elijah was gone.

The other vampires, who were burning due to the sunlight moved as quickly as they could to get out; I saw Rose lying on the ground, skin burning, and screaming in agony.

"Damon, get her out of here," I said, breaking him from his thoughts. He nodded and pulled her sweater off of the chair, covering her with it, and helped her out. I carefully got up, stepped through the broken window and looked around; the humans had gotten over their initial shock and were going back to their own things.

Elijah had to be here somewhere; if he wasn't dead, he had to be somewhere close. I looked through the crowds of t-shirts and jeans to see if I could spot him, but I had no luck. I ran back into the parking garage to Rose's SUV; she was sitting in the backseat and was sobbing hysterically.

"We're dead," she exclaimed. "We're all dead." Damon nodded and closed the back seat.

"Anything?" he asked.

"They're gone," I replied.

"Did you see who did it?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "You're not going to believe me."

"Ok," Damon replied, pulling me into his arms and holding me tightly. "It doesn't matter. Let's just go home and we'll figure this all out later."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"I'm sorry," Rose apologized from the backseat as I drove back to Mystic Falls. "I didn't know that was going to happen."

"Don't worry about it," I replied. "I believe you."

"I'm sure everything will work out," she said. "She's out like a light, isn't she?" I looked over at Miranda, who was sitting in the passenger's seat, fast asleep.

"I don't think she does car rides that well," I shrugged.

"You care about her a great deal," Rose stated. "You love her."

"Am I that transparent?" I asked.

"No, but you two are very cute together," she replied. "It would be wrong for you _not_ to be with each other."

I didn't know whether to smile or to frown; I was happy that I had Miranda, but I was also angry that Stefan was right, as always.

I pulled into the driveway of the boarding house and Rose quickly went inside; I looked over at Miranda and I was about to wake her up when she suddenly sat upright and started gasping for breath. Her hand immediately went to her chest and she grasped a fistful of her shirt. She look over at me, her eyes wide and filled with tears.

"Calm down," I said. She shook her head and closed her eyes, taking a few slow deep breaths. "What happened?"

"Nothing," she replied after a few seconds. "Nothing."

"That was not nothing," I told her.

"Don't worry about it." She looked through the windshield at our surroundings. "Home?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "You fell asleep. Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing happened," Miranda replied. I knew she was lying to me, because I could see the sorrow in her eyes.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

_"It's alright now," his soothing voice said, and I felt him smooth my hair down. "It's going to be alright."_

_"I-I don't," I stuttered, shaking my head. "I don't understand."_

_"I promised I would protect you, Miranda," he whispered into my ear. "From your brother, from everything. I'm sorry I couldn't."_

I looked at my reflection in the bathroom mirror after I splashed my face with cold water to calm me down.

_ "I'm scared," I replied softly; I licked my lips and tasted his blood again. Everything hurt and everything felt like it was being pulled away._

_"This isn't the end," he said. I didn't know whether to look into his eyes or at his small smile. "This is just the beginning. You'll see Miranda; my sweet, innocent Miranda."_

I closed the faucet and walked out of the bathroom, going down the hall to the library. Rose was sitting on the couch and was watching the fire. She turned around and smiled.

"You're awake," she said.

"Yeah," I replied, walking over and sitting next to her. "How are you?"

"Better." She motioned to the glass of blood in her hands. "This helped. Right now I'm just worried about Slater."

"I'm sure he's going to be fine," I tried to comfort her. "I didn't see any burning bodies or anything, so he probably got out of there safely." There was a loud ringing, and Rose took her phone out of her pocket and answered it.

"Hello?" she said.

"Girl talk again," Damon asked, walking into the library. I turned around and shushed him.

"Rose?" I heard Slater replied on the other end.

"Slater?" Rose asked. "Are you ok?"

"Yes, I took off, I'm sorry." He said. "I was friggin' freaked."

"No," she shook her head. "I'm sorry to have involved you."

"Look, I want no part of this but I did some digging."

"Ok, what did you find?" Rose asked.

"You can destroy the curse, but you need the moonstone."

"How? What do you mean?" Rose replied. "I don't follow."

"Can your friends get the moonstone?" Slater asked. "You need it." Rose looked over to Damon, who nodded.

"Yes," she replied. "What next?"

"You need a witch," Slater continued. "Get the moonstone, and a witch should be able to figure out the rest. Good luck Rose." She put the phone away and sighed.

"Ok, so now we need the moonstone," I said. "How are we going to get it?"

"Well, where is it?" Rose asked.

"With Katherine," Damon replied. "In the tomb."

"Could this day get any worse?" I asked.

* * *

It was late when I decided to go home; I had my purse in my hand and I was heading toward the front door. There was a rush of air and I felt myself being pressed against the door; Damon stood in front of me with a smirk on his face.

"Going somewhere?" he asked.

"Home," I replied.

"What happened earlier, Miranda?"

"Nothing you need to worry about," I whispered.

"Don't lie to me," he said sternly.

"What do you want me to say?" I asked. "Do you want me to tell you that I had a bad dream?"

"Really?"

"Yes."

"What about?"

"My death," I said seriously. Damon was silent for a few seconds.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I shouldn't have—"

"Nope," I shook my head. "No sorry, no "I shouldn't have". You wanted to know, and now you know. You were worried, I understand."

"How did you die?" he asked.

"To make a long story short," I replied. "Got stabbed in the chest, a vampire had sympathy for a dying girl, fed me blood hoping I would heal, I died anyways, and here I am."

"It can't be that simple," Damon said.

"It isn't, but I do want to go home and relax. It's like super road trip week; if I even see the inside of another car for more than 20 minutes, I'm going to scream." He smiled and kissed me sweetly; when he pulled away, he took my hand and squeezed it.

"Goodnight," he said.

"Night," I replied. I opened the door and left with a smile on my face.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed it. I had written a sappier ending, but then I pulled a Dean Winchester and was like "no chick flick moments". Unless you guys like chick flick moments, then I'll sap it up. As always, reviews and feedback are appreciated and adored. Until next time…**


	34. Tricked or Trickster

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

I was woken up by an obnoxious ringing; it was the first time I hadn't abruptly woken up because of a nightmare in a few days and, although the phone startled me, I was relieved. I removed the pillow from its place over my face and rolled over, grabbing the handset for my house phone, and answered it.

"Hello." I said tiredly.

"Up late last night?" Damon answered on the other end.

"Why do you torment me at 6am on a Saturday?" I moaned, looking over at my alarm clock.

"I thought you were an early riser," Damon said, the smirk evident in his voice.

"I think I'm entitled to a day of rest," I replied.

"No."

"No?"

"We've got business to take care of," Damon replied.

"Really," I asked, running my hand through my hair.

"Yes." He hung up and I put the phone back on the base when I heard the dial tone.

"What the hell?" I mumbled, closing my eyes and falling back against the pillows.

"Good morning," Damon's voice startled me. I opened my eyes and saw he was sitting on the edge of the bed with an amused look on his face. "Seeing your hair all disheveled and messy is very hot."

"Uh huh, thanks," I sighed. "Why are you waking me up?"

"I told Stefan that we'd meet him at the tomb in half an hour," he replied.

"We're getting the moonstone?" I asked.

"Hopefully. But knowing Katherine, she'll try to work out a little deal."

"Alright," I said, getting out of bed. "I'm awake." I flashed to my closet, changed my clothes and put some boots on.

"Casual and sexy," Damon said, his arms wrapping around my waist once I finished brushing my hair. "I like it."

"You know, just when I thought you couldn't get any more annoying, you take it to the next level."

"Ouch," he laughed. "You really know how to hurt a guy."

"Well," I elaborated, turning around in his arms. "It's just that you choose the most inconvenient times to be…"

"Seductive?" he suggested; I smiled.

"For lack of a better word."

"Good enough for me," Damon smiled and let me go. "I'll be waiting downstairs." I rolled my eyes once he was gone; if I didn't love him so much, I would definitely kill him.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I crossed my arms over my chest as Stefan knocked on Elena's front door.

"Hey," Stefan said once she answered it. "Can we talk?"

"Why?"

"We went to see Katherine," I replied.

"Come on in," she said, opening the door further and letting us inside. "What happened?"

_Stefan, Miranda and I slowly walked down the old stone steps to get to the tomb so we could talk to Katherine._

_ "I hate this place," Miranda said softly. "It always creeps me out."_

_ "I guess that's why it's not our group hangout," I replied with a smirk._

_ "Can we focus, please?" Stefan asked. He and I went over to the stone slab blocking the entrance and moved it. I heard Katherine before I saw her, sneaking out of the dark shadows of the tomb._

_ "Please, come on in," she said, her voice raw and scratchy. "There's plenty of room for all of us."_

_ "I'd rather poke my eyes out," I replied._

_ "Hmm," she sighed. "They're such pretty eyes."_

_ "We want the moonstone," Miranda said._

_ "Feel like tossing it over?" I asked._

_ "Tell you what," Katherine replied. "You get your little witch to hocus pocus me out of here and you can have whatever you want."_

_ "I thought you liked it in here," Stefan said. "Nice and safe where Klaus can't get to you?"_

_ "I've had time to reconsider."_

_ "Meaning you're hungry," I stated._

_ "I'm starving," she groaned. "And dirty, but above all, I'm bored."_

_ "Because that's what really matters in the end, doesn't it?" Miranda asked._

_ "Here's the deal," Katherine sighed. "You get me out of here, you get the moonstone, and I'll disappear from Mystic Falls forever. Let me know what you decide." She showed us the moonstone and disappeared into the tomb._

"You don't believe her, do you?" Elena asked as we walked into the kitchen.

"Please," Miranda scoffed.

"We just want the moonstone," I added.

"According to Rose's friend Slater," Stefan explained. "There's a way to destroy the spell Klaus wants to break."

"No spell, no sacrifice," Miranda stated.

"Ergo, you live." I said.

"How do you destroy it?" Elena asked.

"By releasing it from the moonstone." Stefan replied.

"How do you even know this is gonna work?"

"Cause we have a crafty witch on our side." I answered.

"You discussed it with Bonnie?"

"She said she'd do anything she can to help us," Miranda said.

"It's _Katherine_ who has the moonstone," Elena shrugged. "She's not gonna give it to you."

"We're gonna get it from her," Stefan said.

"Well," I sighed. "What he means to say is, we'll pry it from her cold, dead hand if we have to."

"Bonnie needs to find a way to release the tomb seal long enough for us to get in, get the moonstone, and get out." Miranda explained. "Then she can put the seal back in place."

"Seems like you guys already have it all planned out," Elena said.

"Yeah," I smirked. "We're awesome."

"Except for one thing," she continued. "I don't want you to do it."

"What are you talking about?" Stefan asked. "We don't have a choice."

"What about Klaus?" she asked.

"We'll deal with Klaus after we find the moonstone," Miranda replied.

"Is that before or after he kills everyone that I care about, including you three?" Elena asked angrily. I sighed and looked at Miranda, who was biting her lip nervously. We could take care of ourselves; Elena didn't have to be a martyr just to protect us.

"Elena, if we can despell the moonstone, we can save your life," Stefan replied.

"I know," Elena sighed. "Everybody keeps saying that." She turned and stormed out of the kitchen.

"That went well," Miranda sighed, running a hand through her hair and shaking it out. "What now?"

"Now we wait," Stefan said, crossing his arms. "Bonnie's going to meet us at the boarding house to discuss plans of action."

"Let's hope that this works," I replied, grabbing Miranda and pulling her outside with me.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"Here," Damon said, handing me a glass of blood.

"Thanks," I replied with a smile. He smirked and moved a stray curl out of my face, letting his hand rest on my cheek. "What are you doing?"

"You're my girl," he whispered. "I'm not allowed to touch you for no reason?"

"Only if your intentions are good, Mr. Salvatore," I giggled lightly and he smirked.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Stefan walked into the room with Bonnie and Jeremy; Damon's hand fell from my cheek, finding my own, and grasped it tightly.

"Not at all, Stefan," he replied, taking a drink from his glass of blood. "We were just talking."

"Sure," Stefan nodded with a knowing smirk.

"So, I've been thinking," Bonnie sighed. "I might be able to lower the tomb spell long enough for you to get in there and grab the moonstone from Katherine."

"How?" Jeremy asked. "It took both you and your grams last time and look what happened to her."

"I'm aware of what happened," Bonnie snapped. "I've learned a few new things."

"Bonnie…" Jeremy said with a warning tone. Bonnie ignored him and looked over at Stefan.

"How will you get it?"

"She hasn't been feeding," Stefan replied. "She's weaker, we're not." He motioned to Damon and I drinking blood.

"You wouldn't be underestimating her," Bonnie asked. "Would you?"

"It's a plan; is it perfect?" Damon scoffed. "What plan is?"

"Let me do it," Jeremy interjected. "I've got my ring; I could get in and get out. No spell necessary.

"Gee, thank you, you 16-year old child; why didn't we think of that?" Damon asked sarcastically. "Why are you even here?

"Be nice," I scolded. "He's just trying to help."

"Maybe I can help better the plan," Bonnie said. "Do you have anything that belongs to Katherine?"

"Stefan?" Damon asked, looking over at him.

"Well, yeah," Stefan shrugged. "I'll be right back." He disappeared and I sighed. Bonnie got some things out of her bag and placed them on the table. Stefan came back with a small picture in his hand, handing it over to Bonnie.

"This belonged to Katherine," he explained. "I found it with her things after I thought she was dead, but it was hers." Bonnie nodded and put it in a metal bowl, sprinkling a few droplets of water on it; I almost jumped when it ignited. Bonnie closed her eyes and started chanting a spell.

"What will this do?" Damon asked.

"I can turn the metal to ash," Bonnie explained. "Blow the ash on her, and it will incapacitate her for a minute or two. That will give you enough time to get the stone and get out.  
"Sounds…creepy." I muttered. Damon shot me a look and I shrugged. "Sorry, vivid imagination." He smirked and turned back to the fire.

"We should get the torches," Stefan suggested once the picture was done burning.

"I've got Alaric's stake guns in my trunk," Damon added, walking out of the library. I started to follow them, but I turned back and looked at Bonnie and Jeremy.

"Are you guys coming?" I asked.

"Go ahead," Bonnie smiled. "I'm almost done."

"Alright," I nodded and left. I hoped that this would work, but knowing this town and our luck, something was going to go wrong.

I looked up at the clear blue sky as we waited for Bonnie and Jeremy to arrive; I fought a smile as I thought of the countless hours I had spent watching the sky throughout my life.

"Sorry I'm late," Bonnie said, walking toward us. "I had to grab the grimoire from home."

"Jeremy couldn't take the pressure?" Damon asked, smirking. Bonnie frowned and sighed.

"He said he'd be here," she muttered. Stefan led her down to the tomb and my phone started ringing. Damon turned and watched me as I answered it.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Miranda," Rose replied.

"We're…a little busy, Rose." I informed her. "What's wrong?"

"What is it?" Damon asked.

"Hold on," I said, shushing him.

"I have a little situation on my hands as well," she replied. "Don't be angry."

"What happened?" I asked. "Where are you?"

"Richmond."

"Richmond?" Damon asked, taking the phone from me. "What did you do, Rose?"

"I brought Elena to Richmond," she told him. "She wanted…she wanted to contact Klaus."

"Is she crazy?" I exclaimed.

"Apparently," Rose replied. "One of you needs to get down here and help me get her home."

"You didn't think that she was going to do something stupid before you took her to Richmond?" Damon asked.

"That's not helping any," I said, taking the phone back. "Listen, Damon's going to come to Richmond, and help you. Nothing bad is going to happen, so you're going to stop acting like a lunatic, ok?"

"Slater's dead."

"Ok, then. That gives you a reason to act like a lunatic," I sighed. "Try and deal with things until Damon gets there."

"Alright." I closed the phone and Damon gave me a "what the hell" look.

"What?" I asked.

"Why can't you go?"

"If you don't go down there, that means I will have to leave you with Stefan. At least I can stall him until you get back; our man focus is on getting the moonstone, and we don't need to half-ass it."

"You're right," Damon sighed. "I don't trust Rose."

"Why not?" I asked.

"She kidnapped you and Elena, she almost got us killed in that exploding café, she keeps to herself at the boarding house, and now this."

"Relax," I said. "If anything happens, I'll take full responsibility for her."

"Aw, you made a friend," he teased.

"Shut up," I laughed. "I'll see you when you get back." Damon leaned down and kissed me hungrily, his hands resting on my hips; I sighed against his mouth and reluctantly pulled away.

"See you soon," he said, and then he was gone. I turned and walked down the stairs to where Stefan and Bonnie were organizing all the witchy stuff and Alaric's weapons.

"Alright," Stefan sighed. "We'll just set up the torches and then—" He stopped and then pointed to the ground right outside of the tomb door.

"Is that—?" Bonnie asked.

"The moonstone," Stefan nodded and picked it up, examining it. "Why would it be out here?"

"I hate to interrupt," Katherine's voice echoed, and we all looked to the tomb. She was standing there with blood on her lips. "But today has been full of surprises." She pulled Jeremy into view; my eyes widened when I saw the bloody bite mark on his neck.

"Jeremy, what did you do?" I asked.

"I'm sorry," he said weakly. "I took some powder."

"Don't worry," Katherine smirked. "I know that he's wearing his ring, so no matter how many times I kill him, he'll just be coming back for more. So, I'm gonna be in the back playing with my new little toy."

"You cold, selfish bitch," I hissed.

"Oh, sharp words," she laughed. "Give me a holler when you get the tomb open." She pulled Jeremy along with her and disappeared into the darkness of the tomb. I took a step closer to the door and Stefan placed a hand on my arm.

"It's not worth it," Stefan said.

"Elena's going to kill us if something happens to him," I replied.

"Don't worry about it. He'll be fine," Stefan said, nodding.

"Let's just get started," Bonnie said, handing me a torch lighter; I could see the worry in her eyes. I walked over to the torches that they had set up to set them on fire.

"Alright, she's fed, and she has her strength back," Stefan said.

"We still have what's left of the ash," Bonnie replied, turning the pages of the grimoire. "It should be enough. Do you think you can get close enough?"

"We don't really have a choice," I sighed.

"It's going to take me some time to get the seal down," Bonnie informed us.

"Alright, just let us know when it's ready." Bonnie nodded and started chanting; the flames grew, just as they had when she and her grandmother tried to lift the tomb spell.

"I hope this works," Stefan mumbled after a few minutes had passed. "For Elena."

"Don't worry," I replied with a reassuring smile. "Everything will be fine."

"Ooh," Katherine cooed, walking back toward the tomb entrance. "Something's happening."

"Bonnie, no!" Jeremy exclaimed. "You have to stop her."

"Why," Stefan asked.

"Please," he begged. "She's not strong enough."

"Maybe she is," Katherine said, smirking as she watched Bonnie. Suddenly, I caught the scent of blood and looked over at Bonnie, whose nose was bleeding.

"Bonnie?" I asked, taking a step closer. She kept her eyes shut and continued chanting.

"You've gotta stop her," Jeremy exclaimed. Katherine elbowed him in the stomach and he fell to the ground.

"Bonnie," Stefan tried. "You need to stop!" This was like a nightmare; I didn't know what to do, who to help…who to save. Bonnie could get hurt, Jeremy could get hurt; what was I supposed to do?

Suddenly, Bonnie fell to the ground and Stefan went to her side. "Bonnie," he said, shaking her gently. "Wake up, Bonnie. Please."

"Yes, wake up," Katherine echoed. "I'm still in here!"

"Can you shut your mouth for ten seconds?" I snapped at her.

"Oh, are you going to make me?" she mocked, laughing. Bonnie slowly regained consciousness and sat up with mine and Stefan's help.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"It didn't work," she said sadly. "I'm not strong enough."

"It's okay," I tried comforting her.

"No," she shook her head. "Even with help I can't do it."

"Well, that's just too bad," Katherine called to us. "I'm still hungry." She pulled Jeremy up from the ground and threw him against the wall; just as she was going to bite him, I got up and rushed towards them to go save him.

I felt a grip around my waist and then I was thrown to the ground. I pushed myself up so I was sitting, unsure of what had happened, and saw Bonnie holding Jeremy right outside the tomb. Then I looked up and saw Stefan inside the tomb, pinning Katherine to the wall.

Why had Stefan done that? I could have gone in and saved Jeremy, but he did it instead; why? I caught his gaze for a second, and I saw both sadness and relief in his eyes.

I shook my head and got up, walking over to Bonnie and Jeremy. "Get him home," I told her, helping Jeremy to stand. "You have to clean up those bites and make sure he gets some rest."

"But—"

"Go," I nodded. "I'll handle everything else here."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I walked out of Slater's bedroom and was relieved that the human was asleep, and not still pestering me. "Time to go," I said. "Alice is asleep and won't remember a moment of this stupid day."

The front doors suddenly burst open and I turned and saw three vampires walk inside. What the hell was this? All I wanted to do was to just get home and relax.

"We're here to meet the doppelganger," one of them said.

"Thank you for coming," Elena replied, getting up. I stopped her and she tried to keep walking forward.

"I will break your arm," I warned her. I looked at the vampire. "There is nothing here for you."

Suddenly, the vampire standing at the door fell to the ground, dead; behind him stood a very much _alive_ Elijah; in a flash, Rose was gone.

"I killed you," I said in shock. "You were dead."

"For centuries now," he mocked me. He looked at the leader of the three—now two—vampires. "Who are you?"

"Who are _you_?" the vampire asked in return.

"I'm Elijah."

"We were gonna bring her to you for Klaus," the vampire explained, stuttering here and there. "She's the doppelganger. I don't know how she exists, but she does. Klaus would want to see her."

"Does anyone else know that you're here?" Elijah asked.

"No."

"Well, then you've been incredibly helpful," Elijah replied. I was shocked when he ripped their hearts out of their bodies and fell to the ground, dead. Elijah dropped their hearts and observed his bloody hands.

He turned around and stepped over the bodies, toward the door, before looking over his shoulder at us.

"Tell Ms. Nelson…well, I believe she goes by a different name now, doesn't she? No matter. Tell Miranda that I say hello." He said before disappearing with a gust of air. I was speechless; he hadn't killed us.

"Why did he just leave?" Elena asked.

"I don't know," I replied. I looked around the apartment and sighed; Rose was gone, which was no big surprise, and now I was left having to clean up this mess.

"Go wait outside; my car is in the parking garage." I told Elena. "Keep the doors locked until I get there." She nodded and left. I moved the three bodies further into the apartment and put them next to Slater's body.

I went to the bathroom and washed the blood off my hands and I was about to leave when I spotted a photo lying face down on the floor next to the front door. I carefully picked it up off the ground and looked at it; why would something like this be here?

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I sat next to the opening of the tomb, tears slowly falling down my face.

"Why are you crying?" Stefan asked, sitting next to me. He might have been on the other side of the seal, but he was still next to me.

"You're stuck in there," I replied softly.

"It's not your fault, Miranda," he said, trying to comfort me. "I pushed you away and saved Jeremy myself."

"Why would you do that?" I asked. "Don't you think Elena…that she's going to be upset that you're stuck in there with _Katherine _and there's no way out."

"Promise me that you'll keep Elena safe." He said.

"I promise," I replied.

"No matter what."

"Until we find a way to get you out," I said. "I'm sorry, Stefan."

"I know you are," he said, getting up and walking further inside.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"Stefan!" Elena yelled as we ran down the steps of the tomb; I followed her and spotted Miranda getting up from the ground and wiping her eyes. "Stefan!"

"Elena, don't—" Miranda began placing a comforting hand on Elena's arm, but Elena cut her off.

"Don't talk to me!"

"But—"

"This is your fault," she said, slapping Miranda's hand away. "How could you let this happen?" I growled and stood in front of Miranda.

"Don't you dare talk to her that way," I said in a low, warning tone. "This isn't her fault."

"Stefan's in there, Damon." Elena tried.

"You know what," I asked. "I could have been here to help prevent it from happening, but I was too busy saving you from your crazy kamikaze mission."

"You guys didn't have to go after the moonstone in the first place!"

"It was the right decision, Elena," Miranda said.

"How can any of this be the right decision?" Elena asked. She was about to go into the tomb but I grabbed her arm to stop her and pushed her away.

"Are you done?" I asked. She sighed and looked at the tomb, before turning and leaving angrily. I turned to face Miranda, whose face was wet from her tears. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "Tonight has been terrible."

"Tell me about it," I replied. "Go. Get some rest and stop crying; everything is going to be fine."

"Alright," Miranda nodded. "See you later." She walked toward the stairs and then looked back at me. "Are you sure everything is going to be fine?"

"Yes." I replied, giving her a small smile. She smiled back and then disappeared. I turned to the tomb door and found Stefan leaning against the wall.

"Of all the idiot plans," I sighed. "I'll find a way to get you out."

"No, it's alright," Stefan replied. "I'll handle myself. Bonnie has the moonstone, work with her; try to figure out how to despell it."

"You martyr yourself into a tomb and I get to partner with a semi-competent witch?" I asked. "Wonderful. You and Elena make the perfect couple; both of you are willing to sacrifice yourselves for the good of others."

"I did this for you."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Miranda was going to come in here to save Jeremy herself," he replied. "I did it instead…because she's the light in your world."

"How poetic, Stefan," I teased.

"I'm serious." He said. "What would you do if something happened to her?"

"I don't know," I replied after a few seconds.

"That's what I thought." I looked at the ground and kicked a stone, listening to the sounds of the forest, before sighing.

"Thank you," I told Stefan. "I promise, Stefan. We'll get you out of there."

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are always appreciated; feedback is love! More to come your way soon!**


	35. One Thing Leads To Another

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

"Rise and shine Stefan," Damon called into the tomb.

"Maybe they killed each other," I suggested after a few minutes.

"Or maybe Stefan's just being a lazy jerk," Damon replied with a smirk. "Come on, we're waiting. It's not nice to leave visitors at the door."

"Could you two be any louder?" Stefan asked, walking into view. "How are things going with the moonstone?"

"Bonnie's working on it," I replied. "But we got a little sidetracked."

"Why?"

"Elena wants to find Klaus," Damon said. "Or someone else who can contact him."

"So we brainstormed, and Bonnie thought it would be a good idea to…seal her inside her house." I added.

"You trapped her inside the house?" Stefan asked incredulously.

"It's for the best," Damon replied. "Trust me. Besides you should be glad the witch and I are getting along. We brought you this." He picked up the backpack we brought with us and tossed it inside the tomb.

"What is it?"

"Care package: candles, lanterns," Damon took a bottle of blood from his pocket. "And lunch."

"Give that to me and I'm just gonna have to share with her," Stefan said, jerking his thumb in Katherine's direction.

"Yeah…" Damon sighed.

"You know," Katherine began. "You three are surprisingly calm considering Klaus will hunt you down and kill you if you mess with his plan."

"I've been dead before; I got over it." Damon replied, and turned back to Stefan. "Once we deal with this moonstone, we'll find a way to get you out."

"Don't worry about me," Stefan shrugged. "Just make sure Elena's safe."

"We've got it covered," I said. "She'll be ok."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"Look at you," I exclaimed, watching Miranda walk across the street with a book in her hand. "Little miss book worm." She rolled her eyes and hit me on the arm; I opened the front door to Elena's house and we walked in.

"You should really lock your door," I told Elena. She sent me an angry glare and then looked away. "Oh, come on pouty; give us two points for ingenuity."

"Do you think this is funny?" Elena asked. I sighed as Miranda and I sat down on across from her.

"Elena, we're just trying to keep you from doing something that you'll regret." Miranda replied.

"What does Stefan say about this?"

"Pretty good laugh," I said.

"And what did he say about Elijah still being alive?" she asked.

"Yeah, that," I sighed. "We didn't tell him."

"Why not?"

"He can't do anything about it since he's in the tomb," Miranda said. "Besides, we're all doing a good job of keeping an eye on you ourselves." Jeremy walked into the room and looked around.

"Where's Bonnie?" he asked. "I thought she was meeting you guys here."

"No, she's trying to despell the moonstone," Miranda replied.

"Who's with Tyler Lockwood?"

"Vampire Barbie asked me if she can handle it and I said, why not?" I told him. "I figure if she screws up, he'll bite her and then I'll be rid of two of my problems."

"Hold on a second," Elena stopped me. "Tonight is a full moon?"

"Yeah, but you were too absorbed with all your suicidal tendencies to notice," I replied. My phone started ringing, and I got up to go answer it. "What?"

"Sheriff Forbes has officially declared Mason Lockwood a missing person," Alaric said. Great, another problem to add to the ever-growing list.

"Why?" I asked.

"Some girl from Florida showed up on the Lockwood's door step looking for Mason," he replied.

"What girl?"

"I don't know," Alaric sighed. "But she sure got everyone in a tizzy."

"Not good. Where are you?"

"I'm at the grill."

"Alright," I replied. "I'm on my way." I walked back into the living room to find Elena incredibly pissed off, Jeremy trying to get her to calm down, and Miranda silently reading her book, rolling her eyes every once in a while when Elena punched her brother.

"Change of plans," I said. "Jeremy, you're going to baby sit?"

"What?" he asked. "Why?"

"Something…came up." I replied. "Come on, Miranda. Duty calls."

"Seriously?" she asked, slamming her book shut and getting up.

"Seriously," I mocked. I looked over at Elena. "You know, you should get out; enjoy the sun. Oh wait, you can't."

"Jackass," she muttered.

"Ignore him," Miranda told her, pushing me toward the front door.

"Is that what you do?" I asked. "Ignore me when I'm being a pain."

"I try," she replied. "And I fail miserably. What happened?"

"Some...girl is in town looking for Mason." I sighed as we got into my car. "Long story short, now the town is looking for him."

"Regret killing him now?" she asked.

"Nope," I replied, popping the "p".

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I pulled my hair up into a messy bun as we walked into the Grill; the place was crowded, but we found Alaric sitting by himself in the back. Damon and I walked over and sat next to him.

"Well if it isn't the Dynamic Duo," Rick teased.

"Haha," I deadpanned. "Very funny."

"Ah, well, I pride myself on my jokes."

"Is she here?" I asked.

"She walked in just before you got here," he replied. "She's right over there."

"Mmm," Damon said. "Mason's mystery woman."

"I don't like her," I muttered. "She has this…weird vibe."

"I know what you mean," he agreed.

"Where is Mason anyways?"

"Decomposing in his truck," Damon replied.

"Do you think she's a werewolf?" Rick asked,

"Well I hope not, being it's the full moon," Damon said. "But we should definitely find out." He pulled out a tiny plastic bag from his pocket and waved it around.

"What is that?"

"Wolfsbane," I replied as Damon handed it to him. "Like vervain for werewolves."

"Mason got bloody and gross when we gave it to him," Damon continued. "We'll see how she reacts to it."

"Well, we can't just walk up and shove it in her face like you did with Mason," I said in a hushed tone.

"Don't worry," Rick said. "I'll handle it." He got up and walked over to the bar; I stifled a laugh when he started acting like he was drunk.

"I better go spare him." Damon laughed. He leaned down and kissed my cheek gently. "Enjoy the show."

"Oh, I will," I replied. He walked toward Rick and my phone started ringing. "Busy," I answered.

"It's important, Miranda," Bonnie said.

"Sorry," I apologized, shaking my head. Rick looked over his shoulder at me as he put the wolfsbane into the woman's drink. "I'm all ears."

"I can despell the moonstone," she replied.

"You figured out how?" I asked.

"Well, not really," she sighed. "There's this guy I know from school; he and his dad are witches, and he said he would help me do it."

"That's great," I exclaimed. "Let me know how it goes." Rick walked over and sat down, sighing. I closed my phone and set it on the table next to my book.

"And now, we wait," he said.

* * *

"Can I have a glass of red wine, please?" I asked the bartender. Two hours of watching Damon and the woman talk with the added annoyance of trying to read in a crowded bar was getting to me.

"Sure," he smiled at me and walked away. I sighed as my phone started ringing again.

"Thank you for calling the Miranda Hotline," I answered. "How can I help you?"

"Miranda!" a frantic Elena almost screamed on the other end. "Oh my god."

"Elena?" I asked. "What happened?"

"He's here," she said. "In the house."

"Who?" Elena stayed silent, and then I heard her talking to Jeremy. "Elena, what's going on?"

"N-nothing," she stammered.

"Are you sure?" I asked, afraid that something was wrong.

"Yeah," she replied, her voice even this time. "I'll talk to you later." She hung up and I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at it.

"What the hell?" I whispered to myself. Something had to have been wrong; maybe she couldn't discuss it with Jenna around. I sighed as the bartender brought over my wine. I handed him my money and walked back over to the table.

"I saw you on the phone," Rick said. "Who was it?"

"Elena," I replied.

"Is she alright?" he asked.

"I hope so," I muttered. I looked back at him and shook my head. "I mean, yeah. I'm sure she's fine. She's stuck inside; what could possibly happen?"

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"There's a B&B up the road, and there's a motel on I-9, but you know, if you ask me, it's kind of a mistake," I told Jules. She smiled and nodded, stirring her drink with the little black straw.

"No, you know, it's fine," she replied. "I'm just here for the night. It's a long story; I'm looking for my friend."

"Who?" I asked, playing the part of the clueless, yet friendly, stranger perfectly.

"Mason Lockwood," she said.

"I know Mason," I laughed.

"You do?" Jules asked, surprised.

"Yeah," I nodded. "He's a great guy."

"He's missing," she said grimly.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Like…I mean _missing,_ missing?"

"How do you know Mason?" she asked, ignoring my question.

"Friends of friends," I replied. She sighed and looked down at her untouched drink; I turned around and looked over at Alaric and Miranda. They were talking quietly, and Miranda was looking over at Jules and I every so often.

I had to get _some_ information out of Jules, otherwise this would have been a waste of my time; I should have just killed her to begin with.

"You know," I began. She turned and looked back at me. "I'm really tied with the sheriff; if there's anything I can do to help looking for Mason, I will."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah," I nodded. "He's a great guy, and after his brother's funeral, he stuck around and he helped his nephew…"  
"Tyler?"

"Yep. Mason was with him the whole time." I replied. "Helped him with all that grief. You haven't touched your drink." I watched her, and then heard Miranda sigh across the room.

"Shit," she whispered to Alaric. "Good way to be subtle, Damon." I looked over at her and smirked, lifting my glass up in a toast. Jules picked hers up and looked at it.

"You know, I'm not that much of a drinker," she said. "I should get going."

"Oh, come on," I protested. "Look, one drink."

"It'll help me sleep," she smiled.

"To sleep." She lifted the glass up to her lips, and then slammed it back down on the bar.

"You fool," she said angrily. I rolled my eyes and put my glass back on the bar; of course she was playing me this whole time. I would just be that lucky. "You think you're clever, don't you?"

"What do you want with Mason Lockwood?" I asked.

"He's my friend," she replied.

"Well," I began. "I'm sorry to inform you that you probably won't find him."

"And why not?" she asked.

"You should leave town," I hissed.

"You're threatening me?" she asked, amused. "On a full moon? How stupid are you?" Alaric walked over and leaned against the bar behind Jules.

"How about that second round?" he asked.

"I think we're done, Rick," I told him. I looked back at Jules. "You think I'm afraid of you?"

"No, I don't." she replied. "That's your vampire arrogance. You should be."

"Really?" I asked skeptically.

"I sniffed you out the moment you entered the bar; you, your girlfriend," she said, pointing at Miranda, who was still watching us from across the room. "And your pathetic wolfsbane.

"You see, I've been at this a long time, and any other night of the month, the situation would be reversed. Tonight is not the night to pick a fight with me," she threatened. "You've been marked." She turned and stormed out.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"Come on," Damon said, walking over with Alaric. He grabbed my hand and pulled me outside with him. As soon as we were all outside, he looked around; there was a murderous look in his eyes. "Where the hell is she?"

"Just let it go, Damon," Rick said. "Don't be stupid."

"So what? Just let her get her way?" he asked, pulling me across the street. I looked up at the sky and saw the full moon glowing eerily. ""You've been marked." What the hell kind of wolf…throwdown crap is that anyway?"

"Damon," I said, tugging on his hand to get him to stop.

"What?" he asked. I pointed up at the moon and he looked up.

"If this werewolf stuff is true, one bite and you're dead," Rick warned us. "One bite, alright? Don't risk it. Go home, lock your doors, and we'll deal with it in the morning."

"But—" he protested.

"Just listen," I said, placing my hands on his cheeks. I was sure he could see the fear in my eyes.

"Okay," he sighed. "Come on." He took my hands in his and pulled me to his car.

The ride back to the boarding house was fast, and once we got inside, Damon locked the door. He threw his keys onto the table in the hallway and I looked around; something was off. I focus on my senses to see if I could figure out what it was.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Something's wrong," I told him. He looked around and listened for a few seconds, nodding. "You hear it too?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Library?"

"I think so," I nodded. We walked down the hall, and I jumped when Rose got up from one of the couches in the library. I put my hand over my chest and sighed. "You know that we have phone's for a reason, Rose."

"I tried calling you, but the line was busy, and _he _doesn't answer his phone."

"_He_ is standing right here," Damon said in an annoyed tone. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to apologize," she said.

"Just admit it, you don't have anywhere else to go."

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you to be nice," I told him. "But I think I should just let you be a jerk to everyone, since you never listen to me."

"You're the one who made a new friend," he shrugged. "I just have to tolerate her until she leaves."

"Listen," Rose said, interrupting us. "I'm sorry about Elena; I wasn't thinking straight. I tried to make it right by calling you. Besides, I have nowhere else to go." She shrugged and smiled sheepishly.

"There's nothing for you here," Damon sneered and I rolled my eyes at him.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash coming from the other side of the house, and we all turned and looked in that direction. We all ran to the living room and I felt a cool breeze coming from the broken window. I was frozen with fear as I saw the large wolf in the middle of the room; Damon pushed be behind him and pulled a sword off its place on display on the wall.

"No!" Rose yelled, running in front of us as the wolf attacked. It pinned her to the ground and bit her shoulder, causing her to scream in pain; Damon held me back as I tried to go help her. He stabbed the wolf in the side with the sword and it ran off. I pushed him away from me and went to Rose's side.

"Are you ok?" I asked. The bite wound looked bloody and terrible.

"It hurts," she winced and closed her eyes, resting her head on the floor. Damon knelt down beside me.

"How bad is it?" he asked. I was shocked when I saw the wound close up and leave a bloody stain on her shoulder.

"It's healing," I gasped. Rose opened her eyes and sat up; she felt her shoulder and her mouth opened in surprise.

"Oh my god," she exclaimed, her eyes tearing up slightly. "I thought a werewolf bite was fatal." Her tears slowly fell down her cheeks and I hugged her to comfort her.

"It's ok," I told her. "It's ok; you're going to be fine. Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

* * *

**Stefan's POV**

I sat inside the tomb with Katherine; she had been annoying me all day with her mind manipulations and her annoying voice. I was grateful that she had been silent for a few hours. My thoughts were on Elena, Damon and Miranda—people I considered my family—their safety—Elena's especially—and all of our friends who were in danger because they were helping us.

"Are we seriously not going to talk at all?" Katherine asked, ruining my thoughts and the silence that I was peacefully enjoying.

"We could talk about how you regret all you've done to make my life miserable," I offered sarcastically.

"What do you want me to say, Stefan?" she asked. "That I'm sorry for everything that I've done? Well, I'm not. It's called self preservation; I've been looking out for myself for 500 years."

"And look where it got you," I said.

"Yes, I've done terrible things," she agreed. "I know that, but I do love you, Stefan. Even if you don't believe it."

"You want me to believe you?" I asked, fed up with her. "Show me…do something. Prove to me that there's something inside of you that's actually worth trusting."

"And then what? You're still going to hate me." She walked over and sat down on a stone bench.

"Maybe," I replied. "And maybe I'll see that there's still hope for you after all."

"You're playing me," she stated.

"Am I?" I asked.

"You want to find Klaus?" she asked. "Kill him so you can protect your precious Elena?"

"Let me guess," I replied. "You know where he is."

"No," she said. "I don't. But I can help you find him."

"For a price, I'm sure."

"Start with Isobel," Katherine said. "Elena's mother. She was a research expert; she found me."

I could hear the sound of the stone door of the tomb moving, and we both got up and walked toward the entrance. Katherine gasped when she saw who was waiting for us.

"Elijah," she said, fear evident in her voice. I didn't believe it; he was alive?

"Good evening Katerina," he greeted. "Thank you for having the good sense to be frightened." He turned to me. "Your release has been requested."

"What?" I asked. "By who?"

"The lovely Elena drives a hard bargain," he replied. "However, we reached a peaceful agreement, she and I. Please." He motioned for me to join him outside. "Come."

"I can't." I shook my head.

"Yes you can; I've had the spell lifted." I didn't know if I could trust Elijah, but I also didn't want to be stuck in here with _her_ anymore. I slowly took a few steps out of the tomb, relieved when I didn't hit the invisible barrier.

Katherine tried to run out of the tomb, but Elijah blocked her way. "As for you, however," Elijah said to her. "You shall not exit until I say so; when Klaus comes, he'll want to know _exactly_ where you are." He compelled her; how could he compel her?

"You're free to go," Elijah said, turning back to me. "Elena will explain the arrangement to you; if she keeps her word, I'll keep mine." He started to walk away, but then stopped.

"I would also appreciate it if you could deliver a message for me," he said without looking at me.

"What message?" I asked. "To who?"

"Miss Miranda Avery; I believe that's the name she goes by." He replied. "I'm sure your brother didn't tell her my last message, but I hope I can rely on you. Tell her that I have a matter to discuss with her that needs to be dealt with…sooner rather than later."

"Sure," I nodded.

"Thank you," he replied, disappearing in a blur. I was about to leave so I could go and see Elena, but I heard Katherine call out to me.

"Stefan, no." she said. "Please don't leave me in here."

"Goodbye Katherine," I replied, leaving her alone.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

My phone rang as I waited for Rose to finish using the bathroom; I had been helping her set up her room by putting some of her things into the dresser drawers. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and ELENA flashed on the screen.

"Elena?" I answered. "Are you ok? What happened earlier tonight?"

"You don't have to worry about it," she replied. "Elijah came and talked to me."

"He was…in the house?" I asked. "He was invited inside?"

"Yeah. Jenna invited him in; he's posing as some historian, or something."

"Do you need me to come over?" I was starting to worry.

"No," she said. "Stefan will be here soon."

"Stefan? But he's in the tomb."

"No," she replied. "I made a deal with Elijah; as long as I don't try to find Klaus, he'll keep everyone safe. And I made him get the seal broken too."

"Elena…are you sure that you understand everything Elijah wanted when you made the deal?" I asked.

"You don't have to worry about it," she assured me. "I just wanted to call you so you knew everything's fine. And I'm sorry about being mad at you the other day; I was just…upset, and you were there."

"Don't worry about it, Elena." I told her. "I completely understand."

"Goodnight," she said.

"Night." I closed the phone and put it back into my pocket.

"Good room choice," I told Rose as she walked out of the bathroom. "Big…no windows."

"That's always a plus for me," she replied, ruffling out her hair.

"You know, we know a witch," I said. "I can see if she could make you a day ring."

"Really?" Rose asked, surprised. "You would do that for me?"

"Sure," I shrugged. "You're helping us protect Elena, and she needs to be watched during the day too."

"Oh my god, thank you," she exclaimed, rushing over and almost tackling me in a hug. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Calm down," I said, patting my hands on her back gently. Rose hissed as I touched her shoulder. "What's wrong?" I asked, taking a step back.

"Nothing," she winced. "It just...it stung. A lot." I placed my hand over the area where the werewolf bit her again and she pulled away.

"Take off your sweater," I told her. She quickly took off the long sweater that she wore over a tank top and pajama bottoms. My hand went up to my mouth partially in shock and partially in fear; her skin was broken, oozing and peeling. It almost looked like…an infection.

"Oh my god," she gasped breathlessly when she saw it for herself.

"Damon!" I quickly backed away from Rose and went to the door. "DAMON!"

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! The Season 2 finale was super awesome, and now I'm sad that there's no more TVD until the fall…_but_ I'm also totally determined to keep writing more and more!**

**Also, I put a poll up—at least, I hope I did—for a prequel to _I Wish It Was You_ that is set in 1864. I got a few emails asking if I was going to do one, but I'm not sure. The story is just floating around in my mind anyways, but I want to see what you readers think; check out the poll on my profile, or leave a review and let me know what you think. (Wow, a little phrase redundancy; I don't care...I'm tired.) **

**Reviews are always appreciated, because I love getting feedback. Until next time…**


	36. Infection

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

Three days. Three horrible days of watching Rose suffer; it was hard. I had seen people die before, but I had never watched someone die extremely slowly.

When I killed humans—no matter what the reason was—I would always kill them quickly. Vampires didn't really have a choice in the matter; stake in the heart, head torn off their shoulders, hearts pulled out of their chests.

I spent some of my free time seeing if I could find a cure for a werewolf bite, but old books and internet searches only go so far before they become too ridiculous to believe. I had even debated calling Emmaline and Will to see if they could do some digging for me, but since _I_ hadn't even believed werewolves were real until a month ago, I decided against it.

Once I got to the boarding house, I found Rose sitting in the library, watching the fire. I had spent the last 2 days making sure she was drinking blood and keeping track of her condition. I was grateful Damon had made me go home and get some rest, otherwise I would have driven myself crazy.

"_You're running every scenario, every possibility in your head Miranda," he said as he pushed me into the driver's seat of my car. "You're like a human that gets a cough and looks up every single illness that could cause it."_

"_What would I do without you?" I asked._

"_I don't know," he smirked. "But once all this crap is over, I have a few things in mind that you can do _with_ me."_

"How are you holding up?" I asked Rose, sitting on the couch next to her.

"I've been thinking," she replied.

"What about?"

"I was born in 1450," she said. "That makes me 560 years old. So I can die; I've lived long enough."

"Don't be so down in the dumps," I told her, ignoring the pain in my chest. "I'm…well, not quite, but almost twice as old as you. There's no such thing as living enough."

"Listen to Miranda," Damon said, walking into the room with a bag of blood and a glass in his hand. "Otherwise I'm just gonna kill you myself just to put us out of your misery." I rolled my eyes.

"Oh don't roll your eyes at me," he scolded. "It's just a little werewolf bite."

"Yeah, just a little, fatal-to-a-vampire werewolf bite," Rose replied.

"Don't think like that Rose," I told her; I took the full glass of blood from Damon and handed it to her. "Positivity always makes things better." She sighed and drank the blood slowly.

"You know, I think the blood is helping," she said, smiling weakly. "It feels like it's working."

"Let's see how it looks," I replied, standing up. She moved her sweater off of her shoulder, revealing the bite. It had spread and gotten worse; I had to bite my lip to keep from gagging at the sight of the blistering, peeling flesh. I looked at Damon, who was trying to keep a straight face as well.

"How is it?" Rose asked.

"Uh, better," I lied.

"Definitely…better," Damon said, nodding. "Right Elena?"

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"It's not that bad," Elena replied hesitantly.

"Where's Stefan?" I asked.

"He left. One of you needs to talk to him; he's convinced that he has to find Isobel, but I'm sure that'll upset Elijah."

"No can do," I told. "_But_ if you could help Miranda play nurse for a little while…"

"I don't need help," Miranda protested. "I can handle it."

"Yes you do, and she," I said, pointing to Rose. "Isn't going to roam around the house on her own. It's final; you're staying Elena."

"Fine," she huffed, throwing her stuff onto one of the chairs and then sitting down.

"Miranda, can we have a little chat please?" I asked, walking out of the library. I rushed through the house and to my room, closing the door once she had followed me.

"She's going to die," Miranda stated, leaning against the wall and running her hands over her face.

"I know." I replied. "But, Alaric called before you got here; that woman…werewolf, Jules, is at the Grill. I might be able to convince her to tell me if there's a cure."

"Oh yeah," she laughed. "Like Jules is going to tell _you_ if there's a cure for a werewolf bite. _I_ have a better chance with her."

"No," I said, grabbing my jacket off my bed. "You and Elena are going to stay here and take care of Rose. I actually counted every second for the ten hours you were gone."

"It couldn't have been that bad."

"Trust me, it was." I told her. Miranda was smiling, but I could tell that something was wrong from the faraway look in her eyes. "What is it?"

"What?" she asked, tilting her head slightly in confusion.

"Is all this doom and gloom Rose is talking about getting to you?"

"No," Miranda scoffed. "I'm just…worried. That's all; all this stress is really getting to me, and I'm worried."

"How do you know Elijah?" I asked, hoping to catch her out of the blue. "And Klaus; you mentioned you met him."

"It's a long story," she said, scrunching her nose a little. "And you need to get to the Grill."

"I have time," I insisted.

"Not enough, I'm afraid." She walked up to me and put her arms around my neck. "But I'll tell you once we do."

"No more secrets?"

"No," she replied quietly. "No more secrets…I promise."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

When I went back to the library, I helped Elena bring Rose up to her room; the whole way upstairs, Elena kept giving me this weird look, and it almost felt as if she was trying to read my mind.

"I hate this," Rose groaned as she climbed into her bed. "I haven't had a cold in five centuries."

"Well, at least you can look forward to the next five," I said, trying to comfort her. I poured a glass of blood and handed it to Rose.

"If I don't die first," she mumbled.

"You're not going to die," Elena told her

"That's such a human thing to say," she replied. "At least I won't have to run anymore. Death is much more…peaceful than running."

"Why didn't you just stop?"

"Why are you just giving up?"

"I'm not giving up on anything," Elena protested.

"Then what do you call this deal with Elijah?" she asked.

"I call it my best option; I did it to protect my family and friends." Rose just shrugged weakly in response, and closed her eyes.

"I'm so tired," she sighed.

"Come on," I said as I took the glass from Rose and put it on the nightstand. "Let's just let her rest."

When we reached the door, Elena stopped me from opening the door.

"Are you ok?" she asked, whispering. "You look…I don't know, like there's something wrong."

"Uh, if you haven't noticed, Elena, there is something wrong." I replied.

"Something else," she persisted. I sighed and reached began opening the door so we could leave.

"No, stop…wait!" Rose exclaimed, causing us to stop. "Tell them to prepare the horses." We both turned around to find that Rose was in the same position as a few seconds ago; she mumbled something incoherently and tossed around uncomfortably.

Elena started to walk back toward the bed but I stopped her.

"She's probably dreaming," I told her. Rose opened her eyes and looked over, making us freeze. "Or maybe not."

"We're never going to make it there before the sun," Rose said, almost in a stage whisper. Suddenly, she sat up and gasped in pain. "Guys…guys, I need more blood."

"Of course," Elena replied, walking back over and giving her the glass. Rose drank from the glass greedily; almost immediately after she finished it, she turned around and began coughing it up. I rushed around to the other side of the bed and rubbed her back in a soothing way, careful to avoid the infected bite.

"Elena, could you go and get a towel please?" I asked.

"Sure," Elena nodded and slowly got off the bed and ran to the bathroom. I watched as Rose struggled to breath, coughing a few times; I tried to stay focused, but something in my mind just clicked.

_I focused on the stone floor that rested against my cheek, enjoying the way it cooled my burning skin._

_ "Miranda," my mother exclaimed in a frantic and panicked state; I felt her push my hair out of my face and run her hands over my cheeks. "Miranda, please open your eyes." I slowly opened my eyes and blinked a few times, trying to clear my blurred vision; I could make out the sunlight streaming in through the open windows, and blood covering my mother's fingertips. My blood._

"Everything's your fault Katerina!" Rose exclaimed, breaking me from my thoughts. I noticed that I was now on the floor, and Rose wasn't on the bed anymore. I looked around and saw that she had Elena pinned to the wall.

I got up and quickly ran across the room, pulling Rose back; she struggled against me, trying to get free. "Let me go!"

"No, Rose, calm down," I told her. Elena was just watching us, her eyes wide in horror.

"Katerina, you! You did this!"

"I'm Elena!" Elena said, taking a step closer. I backed away, pulling Rose along with me.

"You might want to stay where you are, Elena." I warned her.

"You betrayed us!"

"I'm not Katherine!" Elena exclaimed. After a few seconds, Rose stopped struggling; I slowly let her go, and her shoulders slumped forward.

"Oh my god," she sobbed, looking back and forth between Elena and I. "I-I don't know what's happening to me. I'm sorry." She put a hand to her forehead and slowly walked back toward the bed.

"My mind…what's happening?" she asked.

"It's alright," I told her. "Calm down a little bit; you just need to rest." She sat back on the bed and put her head in her hands.

"I know…I just—" she looked over at Elena. "I hope you're not scared of me."

"I'm not," Elena replied. She quickly glanced at me and I could tell that she was lying. "You're not alone; Miranda and I are here to help you."

"Here? Where's here?" she asked, looking around in a disoriented state. What was going on; was this a part of being bitten by a werewolf? Losing it completely?

"We're at the boarding house," Elena said. "In your room; don't you remember?" Rose looked around, her eyes wide and full of fear.

"I'm so scared," she said, lying back down. "I want to go home." Elena walked over and sat down on the bed next to Rose.

"Tell us about it."

"St. Austell," she began. She sounded like she was in a dream-like trance. "30 kilometers south of London…with fields and trees and horses."

"It sounds beautiful," Elena told her.

"When you live long enough, everything disappears. So much time wasted," Rose sighed, closing her eyes. "I just wish I wouldn't have been so afraid."

Something about the word "home" and everything Rose was saying just made me want to run away and cry; vivid images flashed through my mind, the same ones that had been plaguing my dreams, and I had to bite my lip to keep from doing so. I knew I couldn't let my own personal crisis get in the way of making sure that Rose was going to be ok.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I walked into the Grill and spotted Jules, sitting at a little table by the bar, eating alone. I started to walk towards her, when I was stopped by my dear little brother.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I was waiting for you," Stefan told me. "Listen, there's a lot of people here."

"Oh damn. There goes my plan to rip her spleen through her back," I said sarcastically. Why does everyone always expect me to be the bad guy?

"Then why are you here?"

"I'm just going to have a friendly chat with Lady Wolf, brother," I replied. "Ease up a little." Stefan sighed and reluctantly let go of me; I turned around and walked across the room.

When I got to Jules' table, I sat down across from her; she didn't look up at me, keeping her eyes on her plate.

"Well, if it isn't the one I meant to kill…I have to get that right next time," she said. "Or maybe I'll get your girlfriend…Miranda right? It'll be fun watching you kill yourself once she's dead." I kept myself calm, forcing back the low growl that I wanted so badly to release as I reached across the table and snapped her neck. But then Miranda would be mad at me for destroying the only chance we had at finding a way to cure Rose.

"You won't leave to see another full moon unless…unless you tell me how to cure a wolf bite," I said. "Then I won't kill you." She stayed silent for a second, and then she sighed.

"Promise?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied. She tilted her head to the side and got her purse out, putting some money on the table; she got up and smirked.

"Bite me," she hissed. I got up and grabbed her arm, stopping her from leaving. "I'm not afraid of you."

"Then you are very, very stupid," I told her.

"How's your friend?" she asked, false concern etched on her face. "Have the chills started; the unbearable pain?"

"If there's a cure, tell me…or start watching your back," I threatened her.

"Did I mention the dementia? It'll eat away at her brain…soon she'll be rabid. You want a cure?" I nodded. "I'll tell you the only cure that exists." She slowly backed away from me, heading for the door. "Take a stake and drive it through her heart."

I watched Jules as she left, reminding myself that we were in a crowded bar, and I couldn't possibly kill _all_ the witnesses if I ripped her heart out that very second.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"Miranda!" The scream was such a shock that I dropped both mugs that I had in my hand, causing them to shatter on the kitchen floor; I was lucky they were empty. I quickly rushed up to Rose's room, and found Elena looking around frantically; the first thing I noticed was that Rose was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is she?" I asked.

"Gone," Elena replied.

"Gone? What do you mean gone?"

"She wasn't here when I came up with some clean sheets," she said breathlessly.

"Oh, this is not good," I groaned.

"She couldn't have left the house, since the sun is out, which means she's somewhere inside," Elena said as we walked downstairs and checked in the sitting room. We were about to look in the library when there was a loud noise coming from the basement.

"Did you hear that?" Elena asked.

"Yeah," I replied. I noticed that Elena's eyes were wide. "Are you scared?"

"A little bit," she admitted.

"Smart girl." I muttered. We cautiously went down to the basement, and I made sure that I went first; if Rose was out of it, she might go for Elena again.

"Rose?" I called out. "Are you down here?"

"Miranda," Elena said, grabbing my arm to stop me. She pointed at a half-empty blood bag that had been haphazardly tossed on the ground. We kept following the winding paths of the basement, finding more blood bags along the way.

"Oh my god," Elena gasped when we found Rose. She was sitting on the floor in front of Stefan and Damon's blood freezer, sucking the life out of a blood bag. Her hands were covered in blood and when she turned around, I could see it dripping down her chin as well.

Rose's eyes darted between Elena and me, the emotion behind them changing depending on who she was looking at; anger, fear, anger, fear. Finally, her gaze stopped on Elena and I swear I almost heard Elena's heart skip a beat.

"Katerina," she growled, picking herself off the ground and slowly approaching us. I pushed Elena behind me and held a hand out toward Rose.

"Alright, Rose," I said. "Calm down."

"I don't think it's working," Elena whispered.

"No," I replied. "Run." Elena took off, and immediately Rose tried to follow her; I grasped her arm and pushed her into the stone wall to get her to stop.

"What've I done," she whimpered. I notice that the lust to kill in her suddenly disappeared. "I don't understand."

"Come on, you have to snap out of it." I told her.

"P-please…spare me. I beg of you." I slowly released my grip on her arm and she took off.

"Damn it!" I screamed, running after her. I found her quickly approaching Elena, and got between them to stop Rose if she attacked.

"Rose, you've got to stop," Elena tried to reason with her. "I'm not Katherine." Rose stopped in her tracks and looked at us again, recognition flashing across her face. "You're just hallucinating; it's Miranda and Elena. We're your friends."

I almost thought we were out of the woods, but then her eyes locked with mine in a pleading way. "You must understand, she ruined my life…please."

"Go," I told Elena. "I've got this."

"Are you sure?" Elena asked.

"Just go!" I exclaimed. I heard her slowly walk backwards as I kept an eye on Rose. "She isn't Katherine…you have to remember."

"You're letting her get away!" Rose exclaimed. In the blink of an eye, Rose had tackled me to the ground. I groaned in pain as I hit the hardwood floor; the element of surprise only made her stronger.

"Damn it!"

* * *

**Elena's POV**

I walked quickly toward the front door, my heart racing in fear. As soon as my hand touched the doorknob, I felt someone turn me around and slam me into the door. My eyes widened when I saw Rose, her face completely vamped out; just as she was about to bite me, I reached behind her and dug my nails into the infected bite, holding back the gagging feeling in my throat.

Rose fell to the ground, screaming in pain, and I ran down the hall and up to Stefan's room as quickly as I could. As I was about to close the door, someone stopped me and I struggled to close it anyways.

"Elena, it's me," Miranda said, pushing against the door. "I don't want to hurt you by pushing the door too hard; let me in." I sighed in relief and opened the door, letting her walk inside. She closed the door behind her and locked it, moving a small dresser over so Rose wouldn't be able to get inside.

I quickly walked over to the balcony and threw the curtains open, letting sunlight flood the entire room. I opened the doors and walked outside, looking around; neither Stefan nor Damon had come back yet, and I was scared.

I walked back inside and saw that Miranda had her phone up to her ear.

"Damn it, Damon," she growled. "Now is not the time to screen calls!"

"What is it?"

"Voicemail," she sighed. "You need to come home right now! Something is going on with Rose…she's acting crazy. Call me back." She hung up and put the phone back in her pocket.

There was a loud pounding on the door, and it startled both of us. I spotted the chair I knocked over when I ran in here, and quickly kicked one of the legs off so I could use it as a stake; Miranda could protect herself, but anything I did to Rose wouldn't even phase her.

The doorknob rattled a little and then we heard Rose cough slightly.

"Guys…I know you're in there. I know Elena's not Katherine, please…I need help," she said. She started gagging and coughing and I looked at Miranda for any suggestions of what we should do.

"Okay," she sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Okay…I'm going to go and see how she's doing. I want you to stay here until I get back."

"I don't think that's a problem," I replied, quickly shooting a glance at the bedroom door.

"Do not open that door, Elena, no matter what. If Rose gets in, do not hesitate to use that," she said, pointing to the broken chair leg in my hand. I nodded and she walked out the balcony doors, jumping over the railing gracefully.

I sighed and sat down on the couch in Stefan's room, hoping that Miranda would come back soon…that someone would come back soon.

**A/N: That's all for now; I hope you enjoyed it. I've been super busy, and I didn't even realize that it was Friday until I got home from school this afternoon. Anyways, thanks for the reviews and favorites/alerts; be sure to check out the poll on my user page if you haven't already. More to come soon…**


	37. We Fall, We Break

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Rose's POV**

I sat against the wall, hugging my knees to my chest as I waited for Elena or Miranda to answer me and see if I was alright, even if it was just by calling through the door. My entire body ached; I couldn't do anything but sit here and wait for death to come to me.

There was a creak in the floor down the hall and I turned and saw Miranda.

"You ok?" she asked, approaching me slowly.

"I think so," I replied, my voice raspy; I had stopped coughing for the past few minutes, buy my throat was raw from coughing up blood. "I'm so confused…so scared. I don't understand."

"Is there anything you need?"

"No," I shook my head; Miranda sat down on the floor next to me, and I was grateful for the company. I needed someone to talk to so I wouldn't feel so alone. "I miss my family," I sighed. "Every day I think of something new I could've said to them. Sometimes, I wish I hadn't become this…monster; you live forever—almost forever—and you get to watch everyone around you suffer and die."

"It's only bad if you think about the bad parts," Miranda shrugged. "What about all the great things you get to witness and experience."

"I've been running for such a long time," I told her. "Anything I've experienced has only lasted for a short time before Trevor and I had to leave again. You're lucky, you get to live in a little town and watch the world grow and change around you."

"Not really. I've been…I guess you can say I was running too."

"From what?"

"From everything," she laughed. "One mistake means an eternity of regret…I've had thousands." I smiled weakly, hoping she wasn't just saying things to make me feel better.

"I'm afraid," I admitted. "Of dying; I don't want to die. What's going to happen to me? Am I just going to, I don't know, stop? Like turning a light off?"

"That's the mystery of death," Miranda replied. "We can never know, but we hope for the best." I felt a sharp pain in my chest and I groaned in pain.

"I hate this," I whispered, leaning over and resting my head against the floor. I began coughing again, and I shut my eyes tightly and waited for everything to be over.

"I'll be right back," Miranda said, getting up. "I'll get you a damp cloth; maybe that will make it a little better." The sounds of her footsteps disappeared and I tried not to focus on the pain that was cutting through me.

_Miranda watched the still body of the dead vampire that was splayed on the ground; her hands were stained with his blood. I bit my lip to keep from crying out in fear; I knew I shouldn't have spied on them, but curiosity got the better of me._

_ "I know you're there," her melodic voice rang out. "There is no need to be afraid, you know. He deserved it." She looked up and her eyes locked with mine; there was so much sorrow in them, but I couldn't help but be afraid._

I opened my eyes and saw walls; how had I gotten inside. Where was I?

"Rose?" The familiar voice sounded far away. "Are you ok?" I looked up and saw Miranda standing there, concern etching her face.

"Please, s-stay away," I stuttered, struggling to stand. Why was I in so much pain; what had happened to me?

"Oh not again," she whispered. "Rose, you're sick; you need to rest. I'm trying to help you."

I looked down the long hallway and out the window; I felt relieved when I saw the darkness of night. Beyond these walls were freedom and blood; I prayed I was fast enough.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

When I got back to the boarding house, it was already dark out; I knew I couldn't leave Miranda to deal with Rose _and_ Elena…even though Elena was supposed to help. I walked inside, curious as to why the front door was wide open, and found Miranda leaning against the wall with a hand over her eyes.

"Are you ok?" I asked, causing her to jump.

"Damon!" she exclaimed when she saw me.

"Miranda!" I mocked her. "Who else would it be?"

"We have a problem," she said gravely. I felt like saying "when _don't_ we have a problem."

"What is it?" I asked.

"You're going to blame me, but it's not my fault." She took a deep breath. "Rose got out."

"Rose…got out? As in "out" out?" It took me a few seconds for it to process in my mind, and then I sighed; we had a problem. I quickly grabbed Miranda's hand and began to pull her outside. "Let's go."

"Elena!" she said, stopping. "I need to make sure she's ok."

"I'm ok," Elena said, stepping into the hallway with what looked like a stake in her hands. "I was getting worried; what happened?"

"Rose is gone," I told her. "And you're going home?"

"No way," Elena protested. "First you want me to stay and help, then Rose almost kills me _twice_ and now you want me to go home?"

"It's safer," Miranda explained.

"What do you mean Rose almost killed you twice?" I asked.

"We handled it," Miranda told me. "Don't worry."

"Stefan's going to kick my ass for this," I muttered. "Fine, you can come." My phone started ringing in my pocket and I pulled it out.

"Little busy," I answered, expecting it to be Stefan or Alaric.

"This can't wait, Damon," Liz Forbes said on the other end. "There's been a vampire attack at the high school."

"What?" I asked.

"I guess we know where we can find Rose," Miranda said.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I stood with Elena as she tried to call Stefan; I focused on our surroundings. The crowd of teenagers were shouting and chatting and listening to the marching band play; the air smelled like cooked food with just a hint of fresh blood from the dead guy that was a few feet away.

Damon glanced over at me as he spoke with Liz, and I could immediately tell what he was thinking, because it was running through my mind as well; in order to keep the town safe, Rose needed to die.

"_S-stop…_" I quickly turned and looked toward the parking lot; it couldn't be. "_P-please stop!"_ My eyes widened and I ran through the crowds of people at a human pace, hoping I would get to the parking lot before Rose disappeared again.

"Miranda, what's wrong?" Elena called after me. "Where are you going?" As soon as I heard someone scream, I forgot about keeping up with the pretense of appearing human and hightailed it out of there.

I stopped abruptly when I saw Rose drinking from a woman who was limp in her arms, and my eyes widened with shock.

"Rose," I called to her, and she stopped, raising her head from the woman's neck. I felt like I was looking at an animal that was consumed by hunger and fueled by instinct. She dropped the woman's body and slowly started approaching me; each step quicker than the last.

"You need to snap out of it," I told her, and she stopped. "Everything's going to be fine; I'm your friend and I just want to help you." Recognition flashed behind her eyes, and the rabid animal that had attacked those humans was gone.

"I-I…oh my god," she groaned, clutching her stomach and falling to her knees; I flashed across the parking lot and caught her, helping her slowly to the ground. "It hurts so much, Miranda. Why is it getting worse?"

"You just need to rest," I replied.

"I didn't want to hurt them," she wept.

"It's not your fault."

"I never meant to hurt anyone."

"What's going on?" Damon said, running over, Elena following behind him.

"Oh my God; is she ok?" she asked, eyes wide with fear and concern.

"No," I shook my head. "She isn't ok."

"What about the cure?" Elena asked.

"There is no cure," Damon replied.

"You need to get Rose back to the boarding house," I told him. "I'll tell Liz about this mess, and she'll get someone to clean it up."

"Alright," he nodded, kneeling down to pick Rose up. "Come on," he told her, making sure she was secure in his arms. "Let's get you home."

"I don't have a home," Rose sobbed. "I haven't had a home in a long time."

I quickly got up from the ground and dusted the gravel off my hands; I noticed Elena standing a few feet away, watching me.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"Yeah," I nodded, and told her the one thing that I never expected to admit to anyone. "I just don't like watching people suffer."

_I ignored the sweet, enticing scent of his blood as I ran a hand over his forehead. Dying…I had never thought it was a terrible thing in the hundreds of years I had been alive, until I watched him suffer so much. All the destruction I had caused—and the lives I had ended quickly—had never prepared me for this; watching him die slowly was killing me inside, even though he was a stranger._

"_What's your name?" I asked softly, my eyes analyzing every inch of his handsome face._ _There was only one thing I could do for him…the last gift he would ever receive. _

"_James," he replied weakly. "J-James Arlington."_

"_I hope heaven awaits you, James Arlington."I whispered._

"_Th-thank you."_

_I placed my hands on either side of his head and snapped his neck, closing my eyes as the sickening crack reached my ears._

"_You'll always be in my prayers."_

I turned around and walked swiftly toward the school to find Liz, wiping away the single tear that ran down my cheek.

* * *

**Elena's POV**

"How do you do it?" Rose asked as Miranda walked out of the bathroom with a cool, damp washcloth in my hand. I was sitting in a chair across the room in case Rose tried to attack me again again—although I doubted it, since she looked like she was on her deathbed; Damon was downstairs trying to get a hold of Stefan, who had been MIA since earlier this morning.

"Do what?" Miranda questioned, sitting on the bed as she placed the washcloth on Rose's forehead, which was covered in sweat.

"Act so…comfortable with this miserable life," Rose replied, taking a ragged breath. "The killing and the thirst; I was never meant to be evil, and it always weighs heavily on me. How do you do it?"

"Why don't you save your energy," Miranda said, avoiding the subject. "You need to rest."

"No," Rose moaned, shifting in the bed slightly. "If I rest, I think about dying. I don't want to think about dying." Miranda helped Rose with a blanket and I watched as she slowly drifted into a deep sleep.

I had been watching as Miranda took care of Rose for the last fifteen minutes by washing the blood off her hands and lips, helping her get into a clean set of clothes, and letting her take small sips of blood and ice water from glasses that rested on the nightstand.

Occasionally, Miranda would look over at me to make sure I was doing alright, and I became worried about her. I had noticed that something was wrong with her the entire day; something was bothering her, and I could tell she was just pushing it away and avoiding it.

Miranda got up and motioned for me to follow her; we slowly walked out into the hall and closed the door behind us.

"How are things in the Wolf Bite Ward?" Damon asked as he walked toward us.

"Can you be serious for one second?" I asked.

"Really Elena, didn't you ever hear that laughter is the best medicine?" he replied, rolling his eyes. Miranda took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

"Where's Stefan?" she asked.

"Couldn't reach him," Damon replied, shrugging.

"Great," I said sarcastically.

"Make it stop; it hurts so much. I can't take it anymore," Rose screamed from inside the room, causing us to jump in surprise. "Oh god! Please, make it stop!"

"That's it," Damon groaned in annoyance. "I'm going to go find a stake and put her out of her misery right now."

"You can't do that!" I exclaimed, shocked at his lack of sympathy. "We have to take care of her, not kill her."

"She's a liability, Elena." Damon protested.

"She's suffering," I replied. "She's been willing to help us since she got here, and you want to kill her; Rose deserves more than that."

"Stop it," Miranda said loudly, effectively getting Damon and I to shut up. "I agree with you, Elena; Rose is suffering."

"Thank y—" I began, but Miranda stopped me.

"But she's _dying_," she said. "Whether it's from a stake in the heart, or from this infection. She's is going to die, and she's going to suffer even more if we don't put her out of her misery now. Do you understand?" Miranda's voice was full of authority and wisdom, but her eyes lacked emotion, and I immediately knew that my suspicions had been right. Something was bothering Miranda, otherwise she wouldn't have put up this wall.

"Yeah," I replied quietly.

"Damon," Miranda turned and looked at him. "Take care of it." She turned on her heels and quickly walked down the hall, her posture straight and confident.

"Where are you going?" Damon asked.

She never stopped, and she never looked back; the only response we got was a loud, shaky "take…care…of it."

When she was out of sight, I turned and looked at Damon. "Is Miranda going to be alright?"

"I'm sure she will," he said hesitantly.

"Are you worried about her?" I asked.

"What do you think, Elena?"

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

_In the sweet light of the valley,_

_ When the sun falls upon the pine,_

_ I shall lay down all of my troubles,_

_ And I lift up this heart of mine._

Blank, void, lack of; the only words that I allowed myself to think as I stared up at the ceiling of the library. I felt more tears fall down my cheeks and I sighed; when had I let myself get like this?

I sat on the sofa in front of the fireplace and just listened to the sounds of the crackling fire as I tried hold back the emotional floodgates in my mind; a million memories and feelings threatened to get loose and disrupt the perfect balance of control I had over myself.

_Take me home, Lord. Oh take me home._

_ O'er the hillside, and o'er the sea._

_ To the soft grass of the valley,_

_ Where your grace shall set me free._

I heard hesitant footsteps slowly walk into the library, and I knew who it was when I heard the steady heartbeat that accompanied it. I waited for Elena to say something as she approached me, and I could almost hear the gears in her mind turning.

"You can sit down, you know," I said, my voice giving out a little. I sighed and closed my eyes as Elena sat down next to me, but far enough away so that she was still giving me some space. "Is he—"

"Yeah," she replied.

"Good." I didn't believe my own words; this wasn't good…this was terrible. I bit my lip as another wave of memories tried to push their way forward. Bodies—all of them covered in blood—lying on the ground, lifelessly staring up at me. How many had I killed, and how many had I just let die?

"Have you ever been away from home for a long time?" I asked after a few minutes of complete silence.

_Through the shadow of the darkness,_

_Through the storms that lead me astray,_

_I shall travel forever knowing,_

_In your light, I will always stay._

"Uh…yeah. I went away for summer camp a few times when I was younger; I missed my parents and Jeremy so much, even if it was just for a few weeks," I told her. "Why?"

"I haven't been home in such a long time," I whispered. "I remember that when I was still human, all I wanted to do was run as far away from home as I could because I wanted adventure. But when I had adventure, all I wanted to do was go back…and I couldn't."

"Why can't you go back home?" Elena asked.

"Because it's gone…and it's all my fault." I closed my eyes and sighed, praying this would go away…but I knew better than to wish for the impossible. "It's all my fault."

_So, take me home, Lord. Oh take me home._

_ O'er the hillside, and o'er the sea._

_ To the soft grass of the valley,_

_Where your grace shall set me free._

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I dusted the dirt off my hands as I walked back into the boarding house; I had buried Rose in the forest after I showed her body to Liz. It was a shame that Rose had to die, since she could have helped us with this werewolf/Klaus problem we were dealing with, but what's done is done.

"It's done," I said as I walked into the library, tossing my leather jacket onto a chair. "She's dead, the sheriff is satisfied that the "vampire problem" is over, and everything can go back to normal. Well…normal for us, at least."

"That's nice," Miranda replied quietly from her place on the couch.

"Where's Elena?" I asked, noticing that she wasn't in the room, or anywhere in the house, for that matter.

"She went home." She sighed. "Sat with me for an hour and a half, and tried to talk to me to make me feel better, but we ended up sitting in silence for an hour. Thank you for worrying about me enough to have her babysit, but I told her I was fine and that she could leave."

"But you aren't fine," I observed, frowning. I rushed across the room and knelt before her so I could see her face; her gaze moved from the fire and locked with mine. Her eyes were bloodshot and watery, and there was an abyss of sadness in them; it broke my heart to see her this way. Miranda had always been compassionate and strong, and even when she was sad, it was never like this.

"No," she agreed, lifting the glass in her hand up to her lips and taking a long drink from it. "No I'm not."

"Is it because of Rose?" I asked.

"No, Rose has _nothing_ to do with this. This is me…dealing with my own issues right now. It's something I've been putting off for a _long_ time."

"What?" I waited for her to answer, and then I repeated myself. "What?"

"Do you remember…when I told you I had killed my mother, and all the townspeople?" I nodded. "I've never been able to forgive myself for killing all those people and letting my home burn to the ground. I haven't even _blamed_ myself for it in all this time; I had always put the blame on my father for killing me, and my sire for letting me become this monster."

"It's over now," I told her. "You don't have to worry about it anymore."

"I know," she sighed. A few tears fell down her cheeks and I kissed them away. "Sometimes I want to give up, Damon…I want to give up because it's all too much. Everything is so overwhelming, and it only feels worse because there is no break in the darkness."

"Everything is going to be ok," I whispered.

"Promise?" she asked.

"I promise." I gently brushed my lips against hers and held her closer. "I won't let anything happen to you…I promise." Something flashed behind Miranda's eyes and she closed them, turning away from me slightly to look into the fire. "What's wrong?"

"Someone said that to me once," she replied, shaking her head. "It was a promise that they didn't keep."

**A/N: Oh my god! My week has been so hectic; I have had absolutely no time to write! I finally found time to relax and write tonight after cooking a 3-course, haute cuisine dinner as practice for my International Cuisine exam on Tuesday.**

**The poll results have decided that there is going to be a prequel to **_**I Wish It Was You**_**. I've already started working on the first few chapters, and I will post them whenever I get a chance. Stay tuned for that...**

**Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter; reviews are always appreciated. Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter, as well as the story alerts/favorites. I apologize if there are any grammatical errors, because I've been proof-reading other people's research papers all week in my Language Arts class. I also would like to apologize if the ending was bad; I had some major writers blah (not writer's block, writer's blah) after I finished **_**my **_**research paper for said LA class. More coming your way soon…**

**Song Credit: **_**Take Me Home**_** by Nathan Barr and Lisbeth Scott. (I love it and thought it would fit in that scene!)**


	38. Beware of Wolf

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

I felt lips brush over my shoulder, effectively waking me up; it had been the first night of peaceful sleep I had gotten in days, and I didn't want it to be interrupted, especially not this way, no matter how pleasant it felt.

"Stop it," I groaned, snuggling into the pillow that rested comfortably under my head. "You don't like?" Damon asked, smirking as his lips trailed up my skin.

"I like sleep better," I replied, turning over so I was lying on my back, unintentionally giving him better access to my neck.

"Not the answer I was looking for," he mumbled, his breath hot against my skin. I tried not to focus on the pleasurable jolts that were rushing through my nerves as Damon kissed my neck roughly and gently bit me every so often; I failed miserably and just gave in. I ran a hand up his bare chest and into his hair, which was slightly damp.

There was a knock on the bedroom door and I sighed, trying to push Damon away so he would let me get up.

"Ignore it," he whispered into my ear before moving away from my neck and kissing me passionately. I sighed against his lips and immediately began kissing him back, getting lost in the moment and suddenly forgetting the rest of the world. I hated what Damon did to me, but I _loved_ what he did to me too; what's a girl to do?

"Damon," Stefan called through the door, knocking on it a few more times. "We need to talk." Damon growled and pulled away from me, rushing over to the door and opening it.

"I'm a little busy Stefan," he huffed.

"It's important," Stefan replied. His eyes drifted over to me and he suddenly looked bashful; at least I had clothes on, otherwise this would've been…very embarrassing. "You know what…I'll just wait downstairs. Five minutes."

"Fine," Damon snapped, slamming the door in his face.

"That wasn't nice," I laughed, sitting up and stretching.

"I never said I was nice," he said, walking over and sitting in front of me. He took one of my hands, kissed the back of it gently, and then tugged me forward so I was sitting on his lap. "Where were we?"

"_I_ was going to go out to my car to get my bag," I began, unwrapping Damon's arms from my waist before I stood up and grabbed my keys from the nightstand.

"Why can't we have fun?" Damon asked, sounding very much like a child who wasn't getting their way.

"Because Stefan sounded serious when he wanted to talk to you," I replied, backing toward the door.

"So," he began, a pensive look on his face. "If Stefan hadn't knocked on the door, demanding to talk, we would've…"

"Oh yeah," I nodded, smiling seductively.

"I'll kill him," Damon growled.

"You do that," I laughed, opening the bedroom door and leaving.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I walked downstairs after getting dressed and heard the front door closing; Miranda walked into the hall and stopped when she saw me. She had changed her clothes and her hair was in a curly side-ponytail; a thought suddenly popped into my head.

"Did you…did you change in your car?" I asked.

"Yeah," she replied shyly.

"To avoid me?"

"To avoid your wandering thoughts…and hands."

"It's your fault. You make me crazy, and I love it." I rushed over to her and cupped her face in my hands. "I love you."

"Since when did you get all…lovey-dovey sappy-crappy Damon?" she asked.

"Complaining?" I asked in return.

"Never," she whispered, leaning up and placing a chaste kiss on my lips. "I love you too."

"God," Stefan said as he approached us. "Am I going to have to pry you two apart from each other with a crowbar just to have a little conversation?"

"You're one to talk, brother," I scoffed, letting Miranda go, and then turned to face him. "Sometimes I think that you and Elena are attached at the face."

"Well you—"

"I hate you both," Miranda groaned loudly, rolling her eyes at Stefan and I. "Can we get serious now? What did you want to talk about, Stefan?"

"Well, yesterday I asked Alaric if there was any way to contact Isobel, and he gave me a phone number."

"And?" I asked.

"It didn't exactly work out as I had planned," Stefan admitted.

"What happened?"

"John Gilbert's in town," he replied.

"Excuse me," Miranda laughed. "I think I'm hearing things. Did you say John Gilbert—Elena's father…the jackass—is in town?"

"Uh…yeah," Stefan nodded.

"I can't believe it," I scoffed. "_That_ was your big Elena-saving move?"

"I went looking for Isobel, and I get John instead," Stefan replied with a shrug. "He said he can help us, and we're desperate."

"Not that desperate, Stefan." I told him. "The guy tried to barbeque Miranda and I."

"He said he knew about the sacrifice," Stefan continued. "He knows a way to keep Elena safe."

"How?" Miranda asked.

"He won't tell me," Stefan said.

"I don't believe it," I told him. "If _Daddy_ want to keep Elena safe, he would just tell us…not keep secrets."

"Damon, Bonnie's new witch friend is working with Elijah," Stefan began, trying one last time to convince me. "So we have to assume that the moonstone was never destroyed. Elena is putting all of her faith into some deal that she made with Elijah to keep everyone safe. I don't trust him; he's an original. I mean, do you trust him?"

"Yes," Miranda interjected, causing Stefan and I to look at her in shock.

"What?" I exclaimed.

"You trust Elijah?" Stefan asked.

"Yes," she repeated. "Elijah's a man of his word. If what he told Elena was true—about wanting to kill Klaus too—and he promised that he would protect anyone Elena told him to, then he'll keep it."

"I don't believe it," I scoffed. "How can you trust him?"

"We have _no other options_," she replied. "We could either trust John, or trust Elijah…and I think both of them are dirt-bags, but at least Elijah told us what he wants. John could just be playing us."

"I hate to say it, because I have absolutely no idea why," Stefan said after a moment of silence. "But I think Miranda's right." Inside, I knew she was right too, but there was something about that Elijah guy that just really bothered me. Something about him wasn't right.

"Thank you," Miranda said triumphantly.

"Now that that's settled—somewhat—you and I are going to go interrogate John Gilbert," I told her.

"Are we going to torture him?" she asked.

"We'll see," I smirked.

"Damon," Stefan said in a warning tone.

"What?" I asked, holding one hand up as I grabbed Miranda's hand with the other. "We'll be on our best behavior. Scout's honor."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"I hope you know what you're doing," I sighed as Damon knocked on the front door of Elena's house.

"I do," Damon nodded. "John's either lying, or he's hiding something. Either way, he needs to learn that he's going to play by _our_ rules this time."

"You promised Stefan that you'd play nice," I reminded him.

"I am playing nice," he replied. "If he cooperates, I won't have to tear his heart out of his chest…yet."

"Hi Elena," I said with a smile as she opened the front door; Damon pushed past her and walked into the house. I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Forgive Damon for his lack of manners today."

"I've been learning to ignore him."

"You know, someone else would be offended, but I don't really care what you think of me." he said, walking down the hall and looking around. "Where's John?"

"He's not here. He left, and I don't know where he went," she replied. "He just blew in, announced that he's my dad to Jenna, and then took off."

"Are you ok?" I asked her.

"Yeah," Elena nodded, her tone solemn. "Jenna's freaking out a little bit, but I'm sure everything will be fine."

"Did John say what he's doing in town?" Damon questioned as he came back.

"No," Elena replied. "But Stefan thinks he's telling the truth about wanting to help me."

"Do you believe him?" I asked.

"Nope. John always does things for himself; if he's in town, it's for his own personal gain." Elena sighed in frustration. "Why do you want to find him?"

"We're going to kill him," Damon replied seriously, crossing his arms.

"Damon!" Elena exclaimed.

"Oh relax," he scoffed. "I'm joking."

"We just want to talk to him," I explained to Elena. "See what he wants and, what he's up to…that sort of thing."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Don't you trust us Elena?" Damon asked. He grabbed my hand and pulled me outside. "Come on. I have a feeling of where he is."

"Don't do anything stupid!" Elena called out after us.

* * *

My phone had been ringing the entire way to the Grill, and it was annoying me; the number wasn't familiar, so I didn't answer it. Yet, every time I thought the person had given up, they called again. While Damon was talking with Carol Lockwood at the Memorial, it rang again, and I decided that I had enough of it.

"You've been calling me endlessly for the past 20 minutes," I answered. "I'm starting to get a headache because of it. _What do you want?_"

"Elijah wants to talk to you," a deep voice said on the other end. "And you've been avoiding him."

"Well, I don't want to talk to him. I think that's reason enough to avoid someone," I replied. "How did you get my phone number?"

"That isn't important," they stated.

"Actually, it is quite important," I hissed. "Or has "Lord Elijah" not heard that I've been stalked, and almost killed, by someone who kept calling my phone from unfamiliar numbers?"

"Perhaps I will remember that if we ever have another conversation," they said. "Or maybe you will remember that next time someone tries to contact you over the phone."

"Listen, if Elijah wants to talk—"

"He has made it quite clear that he has a matter to discuss with you."

"If he wants to talk," I hissed into the phone. "He can find me himself, and we can talk face to face. No cryptic messages, no phone calls from his little henchmen."

"I'll be sure to tell him."

"Be sure that you do." I snapped my phone shut and put it back in my pocket. Oh boy…I just poked the bear, didn't I?

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"No more phone calls?" I asked Miranda as we walked into the Grill.

"Nope," she replied, a slight edge to her voice. "I handled it."

"Alright," I laughed. "No need to snap."

"Sorry," she sighed. "I was just thinking about something."

"I thought we established that thinking is never a good thing," I smirked.

"Can't help it sometimes," she shrugged. I spotted John across the room, standing in front of a Jenna and Alaric as they were sitting at a table.

"Ugh, does he have to ruin _everyone's_ lives?" Miranda scoffed as she saw them.

"Apparently." Miranda and I walked over and stopped John from completely spoiling their little date.

"John," I greeted him. "Buddy, how've you been?"

"I've been alright," he replied with a smile just as fake as mine. "It's good to see you and Miranda again."

"What are you two doing here?" Jenna asked, relief and gratitude in her voice.

"We just stopped by to grab a drink," Miranda replied. "That Victims Memorial is very weighing on the soul; to think that so many people died…it's so sad."

"Hopefully there won't be any more _mysterious_ deaths in Mystic Falls," John said, smirking as he looked over at us.

"You know what, John. Why don't we go and have a little chat, and leave the love birds to their date." I asked, but I didn't give him a chance to talk. I grabbed him by the arm and pushed him over to the bar.

"I don't appreciate being manhandled," John snapped, yanking his arm out of my grasp. He leaned against the bar and crossed his arms over his chest. "Now how can I help you two?"

"A little birdie said that you know things," Miranda said. "Important things."

"But you won't spill the beans," I added.

"I don't trust you, and I have every right not to," John replied. "Besides, Originals can compel vampires—that's why Katherine's still in the tomb, according to Stefan. How do I know that you three haven't been compelled either?"

"We're chock full of vervain," I told him. "Not taking any chances."

"Really?" Both amusement and doubt flashed across his face. "It's hard to believe you three would willingly ingest vervain."

"It's an acquired taste," I replied.

"Let's quit beating around the bush, please," Miranda interrupted us. "John, if you know anything about taking care of Klaus, you need to tell us. We care about Elena, and we're just trying to help her."

"I need to know that I can trust you."

"_Or,_" I began. "You can just start talking, and that way you know that I won't kill you in your sleep."

"Damon," Miranda exclaimed.

"Is that any way to convince me that you and I are on the same side?" John asked with amusement. "I'm keeping my mouth _shut_…until I know that I can count on you." He walked away without another word.

"What the hell?" Miranda hissed, slapping me in the arm. "I don't know whether I should punch him for not telling us, or you for screwing up our chance at getting his trust."

"Ugh," I groaned. "I need a drink."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

The bartender put my glass of wine in front of me and smiled as he walked away to go tend to his other customers.

"I don't like him," Damon said abruptly.

"What?" I asked.

"The bartender," he elaborated. "He's always looking at you."

"Huh, I never noticed." Lie. I rarely came to the Grill to drink, especially since I had my own collection of wine at home, but I always caught the cute bartender watching me when he thought I wasn't looking.

"Are you jealous?" I asked in a teasing manner.

"Pfft," Damon scoffed, then he paused for a second. "Maybe a little."

"Haha," I laughed. "Knew it." He leaned over and I felt his lips brush against my ear and his hot breath against my neck.

"You're mine," he whispered. "You've always been mine…even when you weren't."

"God, you're such a sap," I said, turning so I was facing him. "I thought you were Mr. Damon No-Feelings?"

"You bring out the worst in me," he admitted jokingly. I rolled my eyes and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips.

"Okay, then!" Damon and I quickly turned and faced the person who interrupted our moment. Jenna stood there, blushing bashfully, with another, friendly-looking woman standing behind her.

"Terrible timing," Damon growled quietly so only I would hear.

"Hey Jenna," I greeted her with a smile.

"Sorry to interrupt," she apologized. "But, uh, I wanted to introduce you to my friend…."

"I know you," Damon said. "You're the news lady."

"Yeah," the woman smiled brightly. "I'm Andie Star."

"Damon Salvatore," he replied. "And this is my girlfriend, Miranda Arl..." I elbowed him in the side. "Avery."

"It's nice to meet you," I told her with a smile.

"You too," she replied, slight disappointment in her voice.

"Miranda is my neighbor from across the street," Jenna told Andie. "But, I didn't know that you and Damon were dating."

"It just happened, I guess," Damon replied for me. I saw him giving me a knowing smirk out of the corner of my eye, and I rolled my eyes.

"Well, it was nice to meet you both," Andie said. "I'm sure I'll see you around sometime." She and Jenna walked away, chatting quietly as they left the Grill.

I turned and grabbed my glass of wine from the bartop and took a slow sip.

"I guess someone decided that she couldn't trust us and wanted to make sure we didn't do anything." I looked at Damon, who pointed over to the door. Elena had just stepped inside and was looking around; she immediately started walking toward us when she spotted us.

"Leave her alone, you big bully," I laughed. I noticed the frown on Elena's face as she got closer and became worried.

"Guys," she said when she got to us. "It's Stefan."

"What's wrong?" Damon asked. "Is my brother in trouble?"

"No," she shook her head. "It's Caroline. Stefan called me and said that Jules captured her and she's going to _kill _Caroline."

"What?" I asked.

"Come on," Elena said. "We can't talk out here with all these people." She walked away, and Damon and I followed her to the bathroom. She quickly made sure no one was in any of the stalls before she turned to us.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Stefan went over to talk to Tyler, because apparently, he knows that you three and Caroline are vampires."

"Excuse me?" Damon asked. "How exactly did Teen Wolf find out?"

"It doesn't matter. Stefan didn't want to tell you because he thought you'd…" Elena began.

"What? That I'd kill him?" he asked. "Of course I am; it's what needs to happen."

"No," Elena pleaded. "Please, do whatever you need to do to get Caroline back, but leave Tyler out of it."

"Don't worry Elena," I reassured her. "We won't hurt him."

"Maybe you won't, but I will," Damon said.

"Tyler is Elena's friend," I told him. "We're not going to hurt him. Who cares that he's a werewolf? He's not the one who's giving us problems, okay? Jules is."

"Fine," he snapped. "But this is the last—" He was interrupted when the bathroom door opened up and John walked in.

"Uh, excuse me," I said. "Can't you read? This is the ladies room."

"Then what's he doing here?" John asked, motioning toward Damon.

"Get out," Damon hissed.

"I want to know what's going on," John replied.

"We don't have time for this," Elena snapped. "We need to get Caroline back."

"Oh no," I laughed. "_You_ are staying here where it's safe. Let the supernatural beings handle the ass-kick rescuing."

"Let's go," Damon said, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the bathroom and toward the possible blood-filled confrontation that awaited us.

**A/N: First off, I'd like to apologize for the tardiness of the last couple of chapters. I've been incredibly busy with school and I finally found time to write today after taking my first two final exams. Wednesday is the last day of school, and then I will be free to write all summer.**

** If you haven't already seen, I've posted the first chapter of the sequel. It's called **_**When Days Were Long and Pleasant.**_** I'll be posting the next…two chapters sometime this week. I hope you'll enjoy it.**

** I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Reviews are always welcome and appreciated. Thank you for all the feedback so far; it's very encouraging. Until next time.**


	39. Can the Truth Set Us Free

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Damon's POV**

Miranda and I had been walking through the woods for the last ten minutes, taking our time so we could easily spot something out-of-place. I noticed that Miranda had a frown on her face since we left the Grill; she had it before we left as well, but it was more prominent now.

"Don't be so broody," I told her. She looked over at me and her face went blank. "You're acting like Stefan; foreboding and frowny. It's not good for the skin or the soul."

"Sorry," she shook her head. "I've just been…elsewhere." I immediately rushed in front of her and stopped her.

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked quietly.

"I believe that _was_ a question," she laughed.

"You know what I mean," I groaned.

"Now would be the appropriate time," she shrugged. "Before we get to…occupied with kicking werewolf ass."

"How do you know Elijah and Klaus?"

"Actually, now isn't the appropriate time." Miranda tried to move around me and keep walking, but I grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"You promised that there wouldn't be any more secrets between us."

"I'm sure _you_ have some secrets," she said, looking at me pointedly.

"I do," I nodded.

"Then it shouldn't be a double standard," Miranda shrugged. "If I tell you how I know Elijah and Klaus, you have to tell me a secret as well."

"Fine." I agreed. "You first." Miranda sighed and looked around at the dark canopy of trees that surrounded us.

"Does it _really_ have to be now?" she asked, and I nodded. "Ok…I've been putting this off for too long. I—"

"There you guys are," Stefan's voice rang through the trees, interrupting Miranda just as she was about to tell me. Thank you, brother; perfect timing. Stefan approached us with the wolf boy in tow. I knew that I should've killed Tyler before his first full moon. If I had done it then, we would have never gotten into this whole mess in the first place.

"I've been waiting for five minutes." Stefan continued. I looked at Tyler, who was watching us intently.

"You have the patience of a saint, Stefan," Miranda said sarcastically.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Never mind." I snapped. "Let's just get this over with. You'll tell me later, right?" I asked her and she nodded; the emotion in her eyes was a mixture of promise and relief.

"Ok," Stefan nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"I know you're out there," Jules called out into the darkness. "You bloodsuckers can't fool me!"

"I hate her," Damon hissed.

"I know how you feel," I replied. He and I waited in the trees around the small campsite as Stefan pulled Tyler along to talk with Jules.

"Where's Caroline?" Stefan asked.

"Locked up tight," Jules smirked.

"Let her go and I release Tyler," Stefan replied. "The situation doesn't have to get any messier than it already has. I'm not your enemy Jules."

"He should be," Damon whispered.

"Shut up," I said, smacking his chest. Stefan and Jules argued back and forth for a few minutes before Damon decided to intervene.

"You know," he called out to Jules as he pulled me into view with him. "My brother is a peacemaker. I agreed to let him try his way before we resort to mine. You see, I'm interesting in a _negotiation_ that's a little…bloodier."

"Let go of Tyler," Jules began. "Then there won't be a need for any bloodshed."

"Give us Caroline," I told her. "She has nothing to do with this."

"Oh really?" Jules scoffed. Now I was really in the mood for a game of Smack-a-Bitch.

"Look, without a full moon, it's not an even fight and you know it." Damon tried to reason with her. "We will take you."

"I'm not so sure about that," she replied. She lifted her hand up to her lips and whistled loudly; immediately I noticed something that I hadn't when we were hidden in the trees. Heartbeats…a lot of them. They were soon accompanied by loud footsteps. I quickly turned and saw that we were surrounded by people holding stakes and propane torches, only they weren't people.

"Stupid werewolves," I muttered. I wasn't planning on dying tonight, but I guess I forgot to expect the unexpected.

"Let's try this again," Jules stated. "Give us Tyler." Damon looked at Tyler and motioned for him to move.

"You heard her; go. Get over there." Tyler hesitantly pulled his arm from Stefan's grasp and walked over to stand next to Jules.

"Which one of you killed Mason?" A big, rough looking guy asked the three of us.

"Uh, that'd be me," Damon replied with a smirk.

"Boys!" the guy called out and pointed to Damon. "Make sure that one suffers."

"Do you think we can take them?" Damon asked.

"I don't know," Stefan replied.

"Better die fighting than just standing here taking it like some werewolf's little bitch," I told them; Damon looked at me and smirked.

"God, I love you," he said in a rough, lust-filled voice. His expression suddenly changed and he rushed at Jules, who jumped out of the way. One of the werewolves turned on his torch, which illuminated the area better than the weak campfire did.

While all the chaos brewed around us, I felt a hand on my shoulder and immediately turned around and broke the guy's other wrist, causing him to drop the gun in his hand. I punched him and his neck snapped due to the force. "Oops," I winced as he dropped to the ground.

I looked over at the trailer and remembered that we were here to get Caroline; I dropped the dead body that had fallen into my hands and headed for the trailer.

"Hey, vampire girl!" I turned around like an idiot and felt a stake cut through my chest, causing me to fall backwards to the ground. A lanky werewolf in a hoodie moved so he was standing over me; a victorious smirk was on his lips. "You're dead."

I got up and rushed behind him, pulling the stake out of my chest as I went. I tapped him on the shoulder and backhanded him when he turned around, causing him to fly backwards into a tree. "Heart's on the other side of the body, dude."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

The big guy who was about to stake me fell to the ground, clutching his skull in pain. I laughed internally; it might not have been fun to be on the receiving end of the witchy mojo crap, but it _was_ fun to watch.

Miranda appeared over me and grabbed my hand; I groaned in pain and coughed a few times as she helped me up. She had a large bloody wound the was healing very slowly, and I winced at the sight of it.

"You ok?" she asked.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" I replied.

"What?" she asked. "I've had worse."

"So have I." My gaze wandered behind her and I recognized the man that stood there, his hands raised and his eyes closed. I had seen him a few times at the Grill with his son; Elijah's witch. The campsite became quiet as the werewolves passed out from the pain, and he put his hands down.

"Elijah made a promise to Elena," he said. "I'm here to see it's upheld."

"Little late," Miranda told him. "Caroline was kidnapped, and almost got our asses handed to us." The witch looked at Miranda with contempt, and I could almost hear the thought gears in his head turning.

"It would've been worse if Elena hadn't have made the deal with him. Consider yourselves lucky. You all need to get out of here. Now!"

* * *

The minute I walked into the boarding house and got myself a glass of blood, the doorbell rang. I knew it wasn't Miranda, because she had gone home to rest, or Stefan, because he wanted to make sure Blondie got home safely. I walked over to the door and scoffed when I opened it and saw the annoying face of John Gilbert.

"What do you want?" I sneered.

"We haven't finished our conversation," he said.

"I think we have," I replied. "You don't trust me, and I don't trust you; we've established that."

"Well, I've been thinking," he said with a frown. "May I come in?" I rolled my eyes and opened the door wider so he could walk in. "Although I hate to admit it; you, Stefan and Miranda are doing all you can to protect Elena. So, I come bearing gifts." He took an cloth-wrapped object from his pocket and put it on a table in the hallway; when he unwrapped the cloth, it just looked like some junk.

"What the hell is that?" I asked.

"This is how you kill an Original," he replied, picking up a vial. "In this vial is ash from a white oak tree that dates back to the genesis of the Originals. The dagger must be dipped into the ash, and then plunged into their heart." I took the dagger from him and looked at it; something about it seemed a little…surreal, but I had given up trying to make sense of things a _long_ time ago.

"How do you know all this?" I asked him.

"Isobel," he stated simply. "She's very good at finding out things…but of course, you know that."

"If I asked Miranda if this whole dagger-ash thing is true, would she know about it?"

"Maybe," John shrugged. "Maybe not. If she doesn't…you're going to just have to trust me."  
"Where _is_ Isobel, by the way?"

"Let's just say that, if she accomplishes what she's attempting, Klaus will never set foot in Mystic Falls." He turned around and headed for the door. "You don't have to worry, Damon. We're on the same side."

He left, slamming the door close behind him, and I looked at the dagger in one hand and the glass of blood in the other. I quickly downed the blood and went to get another; once I was done with this, I was going to get some answers.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I walked into my house and threw my keys onto the table in the hallway; I slumped against the front door and closed my eyes as I took a deep breath. I needed a shower, I needed a set of clean clothes, and I needed blood; I put a hand up to the spot where the stake had pierced my chest as I tried to get to the trailer.

"Shit," I hissed in pain. "Blood first." I walked to the kitchen and turned on the stove light to give the room a little light. I reached up to grab a glass from one of the cabinets and then I went to the fridge to get a blood bad. I lifted the full glass up to my lips and slowly drank the blood. I savored the taste and slowly, my pain dissipated.

I placed the glass on the counter and turned around to go upstairs, only falling to my knees as an intense pain radiated through my head. It felt like fire and unbearable pressure, and I clutched my head it pain; slowly it died down to a feeling of pinpricks that dulled my senses. I blinked a few times, trying to clear my vision, and I recognized the feeling; Bonnie had done this to me that night at the carnival when I tried to save Damon.

"I know you're here," I called out, struggling as I pushed myself off the floor. "You're a coward if you don't show yourself." The dulling sense disappeared, and I was aware of everything surrounding me once again. The ticking clock in the hallway, the whirring noise of the refrigerator, and the heartbeat that echoed through the entire house.

I made my way over to the patio door and opened it, only to be stopped by an invisible repelling force. "Damn witches." I cursed.

"We prefer the term warlock," a deep voice rang in my ears. I turned around and swept my gaze over the entire room; nothing. I recognized that voice as the one that I had already heard twice tonight. Once on the phone, and once at the wolf campsite.

"So you call me on Elijah's behalf and threaten me, then save me from being killed on Elijah's behalf, only to play horror-film murderer?" I asked.

"Something like that," his voice was far away now. Garage? Living room?

"Neat trick." I laughed. "Ventriloquism lessons?"

"Something like that." They were close now…incredibly close.

"What the hell do you want?" I screamed.

"It isn't what I want. It's what Elijah wants." I saw a quick flash of metal and my eyes darted over to the sink; my knife block was tipped over, resting on its side. All the knives were missing. Shit…

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I rang the doorbell and waited for Miranda to answer the door; the lights were on and her car was in the driveway, so I knew that she wasn't out or asleep. I rang the doorbell again and knocked loudly on the door. Eventually I had enough and I tried the doorknob, surprised to find that it was unlocked.

I stepped inside and listened carefully to see if she was in the shower or on the phone. Nothing. I began walking toward the stairs when something crunched under my shoe; I looked down and saw broken shards of glass. Odd.

"Miranda!" I looked around and saw that the whole house was in a state of disarray; the table in the hall had been moved out of place, the closet door was slightly ajar, and things were scattered around on the floor. I quickly made my way upstairs and to Miranda's room. Everything looked neat and orderly, except for the light in the closet. I walked inside and was shocked to find that the organized closet looked like it had been ransacked; various items were strewn across the floor, and shoe boxes had tumbled from their elegant stacks.

I was about to pull out my phone and try calling her, but I had a feeling that she wouldn't answer. Where could she be? Everything looked like it was here, despite the disorder. Did she leave…run? Her car was in the driveway, but that didn't necessarily mean that she _was_ here. I mean, what reason did she have to…oh.

"No more secrets, huh Miranda?" I asked the empty room. "So much for trust." I quickly made my way downstairs and outside. In my anger, I didn't notice the muddy boot prints that were smeared on the hardwood floors, the bloody handprints on the pristine white walls, or the small trail of blood that led across the porch.

"Damon!" a voice called out to me as I reached my car. I looked up and saw Jenna walking across the street, waving to me to get me to stop. I didn't want to talk to anyone right now, let alone peppy, happy Jenna.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked when she got close enough so see me.

"Nothing," I lied. "What's up?"

"Um, this may seem a little awkward, but my friend Andie asked for me to give you her number."

"Really?" I asked, disinterested.

"I told her that you probably wouldn't take it, especially since you and Miranda—"

"No," I shook my head. "Miranda and I…we were just a thing. It's over now."

"Really?" Jenna asked skeptically. "Because you two always seemed so…magnetic to each other. And at the grill you were so—"

"Nope," I told her. "It's over."

"Uh, sure," she nodded. "Here's Andie's number," she handed me a small slip of paper. She was about to leave when she looked at me. "Are you sure that you and Miranda are…"

"Yep. Done."

"Alright, have a good night." Jenna gave me a sad smile and went back to the Gilbert house. I looked down at the little slip of paper in my hand and I smirked.

* * *

"I can't believe you called me," Andie sighed as I kissed her neck. "You and your girlfriend looked so in love when I saw you earlier. I thought I had a snowball's chance in hell." She played with the bubbles that were on my shoulder as we sat in the large bathtub.

"Stop worrying about it," I told her. "And stop talking about Miranda; forget her. Fleeting thought…poof, she's gone."

"Alright," she laughed. "Poof." I sat back in the bathtub and grabbed the glass of wine that rested on the floor, drinking from it. "FYI. You can booty call me anytime you want."

"Don't worry," I told her. "I need a distraction…and you're convenient."

"Way to make a girl feel special."

"Well, you are special. I have a problem I need help with, and it's really messing with my mind."

"Tell me about it," she said.

"I'm in love with a woman who keeps secrets from me." I said, thinking about the relieved look in Miranda's eyes earlier when Stefan stopped her from telling me how she knew Klaus and Elijah.

"I knew it," Andie sighed, pouting slightly and taking the wine glass from me. "I really know how to pick 'em. Why can't you have her? Is she with another man?"

"No," I snapped at the idea of Miranda being with someone else. She loved me…I knew that she did. "She keeps running away from me. I don' know if it's because she's scared or…or because she doesn't want to do commitment. I think she's the puppet-master sometimes, even if she acts all innocent and naïve; I'm not in control." I stared at a tile on the floor and focused on it, hoping it would spontaneously combust and my problem would be gone.

"You don't trust yourself around her?" she asked.

"I don't trust myself around _anyone_." I scoffed. "I'm bad, Andie. I do things…I kill people." I looked back at Andie and saw the fear in her eyes; she looked as if she was about to scream.

"Don't be afraid," I sat up strait and compelled her. "You're ok." The fear disappeared and was replaced with a strange calm.

"Why do you kill people?" she asked.

"Because I like it…it's in my nature." I replied. "It's in Miranda's nature too…that fire in her eyes that she pushes back. And that's my problem. She doesn't embrace who she is, and the fire she holds back prevents her from just…living in the moment. She can't be who she is, and then I can't be who I am. We can't be…us…together, like we should be. Like we used to be before everything tore us apart."

"Well maybe that's just the way you _have_ to be," Andie reasoned.

"I can't just accept that."

"Love does that, Damon. It changes us."

"Just stop talking," I grabbed her arms. "Just kiss me…be my distraction." I roughly pushed my lips to Andie's and it felt…wrong. It wasn't bad, it was just wrong; her lips didn't feel like Miranda's. That feeling I got every time we kissed or touched, the feeling of being complete, wasn't there.

I pulled away and kissed down Andie's neck, and I could feel my fangs extend when I felt her blood rush under her skin. I bit violently into her shoulder and sucked the blood from the wound, ignoring the plain taste it had compared to other kinds of blood I had tasted previously. I heard Andie whimper in pain and I smirked; if I was going to suffer, someone else needed to suffer with me.

* * *

**Stefan's POV**

It was very late I walked into the boarding house. I had gone hunting after dropping Elena and Bonnie off at Caroline's, and I was happy that there was finally a way for the three of them to stay as close as they were before everything started going haywire.

I went to the sitting room and poured myself a drink; just as I was about to raise the glass to my lips, I noticed a small blinking red light in the corner of the room. It was funny that you live somewhere for a long time, but never notice something that's right in front of your face.

I slowly approached it and saw the old antique house phone and modern looking answering machine next to it on a table; the small red like on the answering machine blinked obnoxiously. Nobody ever called the house phone; maybe one or twice when Zach was alive, but never since then. I pushed the "play" button and listened intently.

"_**You have **__ONE__** new message. Today at 1:15 AM.**_"

"_Damon. Stefan_," Miranda's quiet, yet frantic voice sounded over the machine. There was a whirring noise in the background, and I couldn't pinpoint what exactly it was. "_I hope you get this message; one of you is bound to notice the answering machine eventually. You guys, don't worry about me. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you'll figure it out." _There was a loud bang. "_Learn to drive dumbass. Where was I? Right. I can handle it…don't do anything stupid._" There was suddenly a loud, agonizing scream, and the message ended.

"What the hell?" I asked, worry filling my mind.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

_Flashes. Images without sound. Faces. Names. They all rushed through my mind at an intense speed. There was a blinding light as I opened my eyes and looked around; a green, grassy field. The field that I had run around in when I was younger…the one I would lay in to look up at the sky and watch the different shades of blue melt and blend together._

_ "Goodbye, my daughter," my father's deep commanding voice said from behind me. I turned around and saw him standing there with a dagger in his hand. "May God bless you and free your soul of the demons."_

_ He grabbed my arm and plunged the knife into my chest; I gasped in pain and he let me fall back onto the grass. I watched him walk away…not a single look of regret or sadness on his face._

My eyes burst open, and I struggled for breath; my vision was blurred with tears that fell down my cheeks at a rapid pace. I didn't recognize any of my surroundings and closed my eyes, wishing that I was in anywhere but here; so many questions ran through my mind, but they were all condensed into one thing.

"Why?" I sobbed. I felt someone pull me up so I was sitting, and then warm arms circle around me; my head rested on something soft, and someone stroked my hair.

"Shh, everything's alright," a comforting voice muttered. "You're safe now."

"No," I whispered. "I'm not."

"It'll be ok. Shh, calm down." I focused on my breathing and the secure feeling that surrounded me. Eventually I calmed down enough to have rational thought and realization sparked in my brain. I rushed across the room and pressed my back to the wall, my eyes wide and my mind alert.

I stared as he got up from his seat on the bed and straightened out his jacket; he stared at me with an amused expression. For some reason, I still felt safe around him, despite the hell I had been through tonight.

"Elijah." I greeted him. I thought of all the things he used to be, and all the things he was. My protector, my closest friend, someone who I owed my life to…my sire.

**A/N: I was watching Supernatural while I was writing this; Castiel's line in episode 5.03 "Free to Be You and Me" totally inspired me the while I was writing. So credit for the **_**werewolf's little bitch**_** up there goes to Supernatural, and to Castiel/Misha Collins for being so badass. (*super fangirl sigh*)**

**Anyways…I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Reviews are always appreciated and welcomed. More to come soon…**


	40. Retracing Our Steps

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Elijah's POV**

_She was so small in my arms; I could hear the tiny human breathing as she slept, her head resting gently on my shoulder. I had been intrigued by her from the first moment she saw me, hiding in the shadows of the town as I waited for someone to pass by so I could feed. She smiled and waved at me, just as she did while I was watching her today through the trees._

_I had been shocked to hear that there were plans to kill her just because she had nightmares of monsters who lurked in the shadows. This town, so naïve and superstitious; they should have been scared of the monsters, but not of such a small child. I knew her father was abusing his power to instill fear in the citizens of the town; if he could order his own daughter's death, he could do anything._

_So why did I save her? It was a question even I didn't know the answer to entirely, but I knew that she didn't deserve to die for something so trivial and stupid._

"_Wake up, Miranda," I whispered, gently shaking her. "We're almost home." Her small arms tightened around my neck and nuzzled into my shoulder. Somewhere inside me—even if I didn't realize it yet—I had made a silent vow to protect her for the rest of her life._

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"It's good to finally see you again Miranda," Elijah said. "Although…I never imagined that your appearance would be so…unruly."

"Blame your warlock," I snapped. "_And_ those pesky werewolves that have taken up residence in the woods."

"I thought Jonas took care of it," he frowned.

"Just like he "took care" of me?" I asked. I looked down at my clothes, which were tattered and bloody; I remembered running through my house, trying to find Elijah's warlock so I could break his neck. Mission: Impossible, obviously, because I ended up getting stabbed a few times.

"I told him to do whatever was necessary so I could talk with you," Elijah replied.

"Well, kidnapping isn't usually something you resort to when you want to talk to someone." I sighed. "It doesn't matter, anyways. I have nothing to say to you."

"I think you have a lot to say to me, actually." I walked over to him, and slapped him hard across the cheek. Many people would be dead after doing something like that to someone like him, but I was different; I wasn't scared of him. "Despite your…lack of respect, I do deserve that."

"Oh, you deserve an ass-kicking," I sneered, looking up at him. "I haven't seen or heard from you in almost 500 years, and then you just magically pop up, making deals with Elena Gilbert because you want to _kill Klaus._" Elijah sighed and shook his head.

"You don't understand, Miranda," he said. "Sleep; you're tired and it's late. We'll talk in the morning."

"I have nothing to say to you," I repeated my words.

"Well, you're going to stay here until you do," he replied. "Since I obviously can't compel you because of the vervain you willingly ingest, Jonas has sealed the room to keep you from leaving." He put his hands on my shoulders and pressed a kiss to my forehead, just like he did when I was a little girl. He walked over to the door before turning to look at me again. "There's a bag of your things in the bathroom in case you want to change. Goodnight Miranda."

When he was gone, I looked around the dark bedroom; I felt…alone. I walked over to the bathroom and opened the light; I was shocked at the sight of my reflection. My long, curly hair was now a choppy mess—parts of it were still long, and other parts were uneven and shoulder-length. My eyes were bloodshot and tired, and my skin was covered with dried blood.

"What do you think?" I asked myself. "How am I going to get out of this mess?"

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"I'm late," Andie whined as we walked down the stairs. Despite how…_talented_ Andie was, she did have her flaws; she whined, she complained, and she meddled. "This is such a crazy day; I have to go to work, and then I'm covering the Historical Society's High Tea.

"Ooh, thrilling!" I said with false excitement as I played with the silky scarf in my hands.

"Yeah," she laughed. "It's for some visiting writer; he's writing a book on small-town Virginia. It's a big snooze." I walked up behind her and watched as she fixed her appearance in the mirror.

"Writer?" I asked. "What's his name?"

"Uh, Elijah Smith."

"Smith? He's using Smith?" I scoffed and put the scarf around Andie's neck. "Do you have your story straight in your mind?"

"I can't say that you bit me…or drank my blood," she repeated everything I compelled her not to do. "Just that we really hit it off, and I really like you. You _are_ terrific though; you're sweet, funny, and honest."

"And you're falling hard," I compelled her.

"You might be the one," she sighed in a dreamy trance.

"Perfect," I smirked. Oh, she was going to be a fun toy to play with. I opened the door and saw Alaric approaching us from his car. "Have a great day, honey." Andie kissed me and walked out, saying hello to Rick as she left.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"My new girlfriend," I replied. "Andie Star, Action News."

"It's not called action news."

"I know; I just like saying it," I smirked and motioned for him to come inside. I brought him to the library, where the dagger and ash vial were sitting on the desk.

"John Gilbert gave me this to kill Elijah," I said, picking up the dagger. "He said you have to dip the dagger in the remains of an old white ash tree that dates back to the Originals…if there's any truth to that."

"So you think it's a setup?"

"It could be. The guy's a weasel; I wouldn't put anything past him." I handed the dagger over to him. "What are _you_ up to today, Mr. Saltzman?"

"Jenna and I were supposed to go to her family's lake house, but somehow, we both got roped into doing this Historical Society thing at the Lockwood's—"

"Where Elijah's the guest of honor," I finished for him.

"Tell me you're not going to kill him at the party," he said, giving me a pointed glare.

"No," I scoffed. "That would be stupid. I want to know his endgame before I kill him…but I do think it's time Elijah and I officially met." Rick continued to glare at me and I sighed. "What?"

"Jenna told me that you and Miranda broke up," he replied. "And now you're with Andie? What happened, buddy?"

"Nothing," I told him.

"Well, Miranda's on the Historical Society. She'll probably be at the Tea Party today."

"I doubt it."

"Why?"

"Because she's gone," I snapped. "I went to her house last night and it was…completely out of order. She's gone!"

"I can't believe that you don't have any faith in Miranda," Stefan's voice echoed from behind me. I turned around and saw that he was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"This is none of your business, little brother," I told him, and then to Rick. "And it isn't yours either."

"Whatever," Rick shrugged. "I was leaving anyways. I'll see you later." He left and as soon as the front door slammed shut, I moved to leave.

"Get out of my way, Stefan," I grumbled as he stood in my path.

"No, we need to talk," he replied. "What happened last night?"

"I went over to Miranda's house, because she promised to tell me how she knew Elijah and Klaus, but she wasn't there."

"And you immediately think that she ran away. Why?"

"Because that's what she does!" I yelled.

"Sometimes I think that there's a glimmer of hope in you, and then you just—" Stefan began, but then he just sighed and turned around. "Elena and I are leaving for the Gilbert Lake House today. There's a message for you on the answering machine in the sitting room."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked as he walked away. "Stefan? Stefan!"

* * *

**Elijah's POV**

_"Elijah!" Miranda screamed excitedly when she saw me; the young girl ran toward me at an incredible speed for a human, and a small one at that. I knelt down and she ran into my arms, smiling brightly. I had witnessed her get taller and talk properly, losing the slight baby lisp she once had, whenever I had visited; she was no longer the round-faced toddler she was four years ago._

_ "Perhaps you could let me go," I laughed after a few minutes. "I believe that your mother would like to greet me as well." Miranda backed out of my arms, looking incredibly bashful. I stood up straight and walked over to the fair-haired woman who stood watching us with a smile._

_ "Aunt Elizabeth," I greeted. I had compelled Miranda, her family, and anyone that knew them personally that I was Philip's nephew—his brother's son—so I could visit every so often without suspicion._

"_It is good to see you again, Elijah. How is your family?" she asked._

"_They are well, and send their greetings just as they always do," I lied. I didn't care for Elizabeth and Philip much, seeing as I was only here for Miranda's sake, but they still welcomed and cared for me more than my own blood-relatives did._

"_It is a fine day isn't it?" Elizabeth asked, looking up at the sky. "I'm sure Miranda has many things to show you; we should not let her wait any longer. I shall see you both back by the evening meal, no later?"_

"_Of course," I replied with a nod. She smiled and walked away towards another woman who was waiting by the entrance of the large manor house. I felt a light tug on my hand and looked down to see Miranda smiling brightly and trying to get me to follow her._

"_You love to be the center of attention, don't you?" I teased._

"_Only with you; you are my best friend," she laughed. In some cases, it would feel demeaning to be the best friend of a nine-year-old girl, but it meant the world to me. Miranda never felt like a burden, nor was it an inconvenience to be in her company; in my heart, I felt that she would be the closest thing to having a child of my own. The need to protect her grew each time I saw her smiling face._

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"Come in," I called out when I heard a knock on the door; I had been sitting cross-legged on the bed watching the sunlight filter in through the window, making pretty patterns due to the tree that was outside. The door opened and Elijah walked in, his face stony and blank; he closed the door behind him and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Did you get a good night's rest?" he asked.

"No," I replied. "I kept waking up."

"Do the nightmares get worse when you aren't at home?" I turned and looked back out the window. "From your silence, I can assume that the answer is "yes.""

"Did you see the mess your warlock made with my hair while he was trying to gut me?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I apologize," he replied. "As I said before, I told Jonas to whatever her felt was necessary. I'm sure it was an accident; he is a very rational man."

"You're going to get it fixed," I said, pointing a finger at him. "ASAP!"

"Miranda, I—"

"Either you get someone to fix this or you let me go and I will."

"Fine. I'll see what I can do," he replied.

"Thank you."

Elijah rushed across the room and sat in a chair that was in front of the closet door "Jonas said you contacted the Salvatores when you regained consciousness in the trunk of his car. Is that true?" he asked, amusement in his voice.

"Gotta give me points for trying." I replied. "I don't exactly appreciate being kidnapped. If you wanted to talk, we could have had a nice social visit; I would have made biscotti."

There was a long pause where Elijah and I just stared at each other, and he was the one to break it.

"You've changed," he said.

"You haven't," I replied. I sighed and closed my eyes for a minute before looking back at Elijah. "I think I'm ready to talk."

"Ah, the irony of it. I'm afraid I must leave; I have to be at the Historical Society—"

"Tea Party." I finished for him; I had completely forgotten about that. "Carol's going to kill me."

"_You_ are on the Historical Society?" Elijah laughed. "That is extremely hard to believe."

"I didn't really have much choice; there isn't anything to do in this town." I shrugged. "You know, other than fight supernatural creatures and make sure I don't get killed. Why are _you_ going to the tea party?"

"I'm Mrs. Lockwood's guest," he replied. "I met her the other day, and asked her for some help with a book I'm writing on the history of small towns in Virginia."

"Now _that_…sounds boring; I hope you aren't actually doing it."

"No, but the façade is quite exhausting." He got up and started to exit the room. "We'll talk when I get back."

"Yeah, because sitting here doing nothing for hours is going to be oodles of fun," I said sarcastically once he left.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I walked into the Lockwood's house and looked around at all the people holding porcelain teacups and chattering; this was going to be…boring, for lack of a better word. I spotted Jenna and walked over to her, earning an annoyed sigh and a slight glare.

"What are you doing here, Damon?" she asked.

"Hey, you came" an excited voice said behind me. I turned around and saw Andie approach me with a bright smile.

"Hi," I greeted her, leaning in and kissing her. She sighed dreamily when I pulled away and bit her lip; I looked at Jenna. "Thanks for giving me her number, Jenna."

"Uh," she stopped and frowned. I looked across the room and spotted Mr. Original talking with Carol.

"Excuse me." I approached them, leaving Jenna and Andie alone as they talked in hushed whispers. "Carol," I greeted with a smile; she gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Damon, what a surprise! How are you?" she asked.

"Great." I looked at Elijah, who was glaring at me with a look of disdain, which I returned with a smirk.

"Elijah, I'd like you to meet Damon Salvatore," Carol introduced. "His family is one of Mystic Falls' founding families."

"Such a pleasure to meet you," I said.

"No," he replied, holding out his hand. "The pleasure's mine." I shook his hand and then turned back to Carol.

"So, Tea Party?" I asked.

"Yes, Miranda helped me arrange it and even found a good tea caterer on short notice. She's a godsend, especially since I've been busy in the Mayor's office." She looked around. "She hasn't arrived yet, but I'm pretty sure she sent me a message earlier. Have you seen her at all?"

"No," I said, forcing the smile to stay on my face. "I haven't"

"I'm sure that she'll get here soon. Now if you'll both excuse me," Carol smiled and walked away. I turned to Elijah, whose forced smile was now replaced with a glare.

"I'm not too fond of tea, Elijah," I told him. "Care to join me for a bourbon?"

"Of course." He gestured for me to lead the way. I wove through the crowded room to Richard's office and walked inside; it seemed empty without the Mayor, but it's not like I particularly liked him anyways.

"What can I do for you, Damon?" Elijah asked, running his hand over the back of the leather couch.

"I was hoping we could have a word," I said.

"Where's Elena?"

"Safe with Stefan," I replied. "They're laying low; you know, bit of a werewolf problem."

"Oh, yeah. I heard about that."

"I'm sure you did, since it was your witch that saved the day—"

"You're welcome," he interjected with a smirk.

"Which adds to my confusion of exactly _why_ you're here," I continued, sitting on the edge of the desk.

"Why don't you just stay focused on keeping Elena safe and leave the rest to me." He turned to leave, but I rushed in front of him, blocking his way.

"Not good enough," I sneered. In a split second, I felt Elijah's vice-like grip squeezing my neck; he pushed me against the wall roughly and I struggled to get free. I raised my hand up to his neck, but it didn't faze him. With a stony expression, Elijah grabbed my hand and broke my wrist.

"You young vampires…so arrogant," he hissed. "How dare you come in here and challenge me?"

"You can't kill me man," I told him, struggling to speak. "It's not part of the deal."

"Silence." He grabbed a pencil off the desk and drove it into the side of my neck, causing me to cry out in pain. I reached up and grabbed it as he threw me away; I pulled it out and put my hand against the wound, feeling it bleed as the wound healed incredibly slowly. Elijah walked around to the other side of the desk and pulled a white handkerchief from his pocket.

"I'm an Original; show a little respect." He tossed it to me and I quickly grabbed it and pressed it to my neck. "Normally, I would dispose of you the moment you ceased to be of use to me, _but_ Miranda seems to be quite fond of you, and I know that she wouldn't be pleased if you were dead. Nor do I think she would be pleased to know that you are…philandering with the little news woman."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked, receiving a smirk; almost immediately, my brain went into overdrive. Miranda was going to tell me about Elijah and Klaus, then she suddenly disappears. Her house was in a mess, as if someone had ransacked it…or was being chased through it. Then Stefan was angry at this morning and told me to listen to a mysterious message on the answering machine—I didn't even think we had a house phone, by the way. I looked over at him and growled; when Elijah's smirk grew wider, I saw red.

"I'll be watching you, Damon. The moment you make a mistake, you're dead; you should be conscious of your actions and of your surroundings." He turned on his heel and left, leaving me alone in the office; I closed my eyes and sighed.

I was stupid, incredibly stupid. Everything had been right in front of me, and I was too caught up in my own stupidity to see it. I instantly regretted everything I thought about Miranda last night, and everything I had done with Andie. Elijah had Miranda, and there was nothing I could do about it…not yet, at least.

**A/N: I hope you liked this chapter; the next chapter will be up sometime next week. The feedback from the last chapter was awesome; I was really glad you all enjoyed it. **** Reviews are always welcome and appreciated. Until next time...**


	41. Destruction and Regret

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

_The sky was overcast in a light grey; it was the first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes. Not the dull ache that throbbed throughout my body, not the blood that covered my skin and clothes, and not the hunger that stirred in my stomach. A cool breeze made the grass surrounding me dance as I hesitantly moved to stand._

_How had I gotten to the fields near the harbor? The last thing I remembered was slowly making my way back to my bedroom after stargazing in the bell tower all night. No, that was…that couldn't have been it. I went on a walk with father, and then he…_

"_No," I gasped, jumping back in fear of something that wasn't there; tears stung my eyes as I placed a hand over my chest and felt around for a wound, but there was nothing. Nothing, except for a cool, metal chain that rested around my neck; I pulled it forward and saw a small charm with a blue stone dangling from it._

"_I want to go home," I wept, letting the tears fall from my eyes. I needed to find mother, or father…I needed to see if this was all just a nightmare, like the ones that woke me up, screaming, night after night. I ran through the grass to the pathway made by wagons and people traveling by horse or by foot. "I _need _to go home."_

* * *

"Have you seen or talked to Klaus since…"

"No," I interrupted Elijah. "I planned to avoid the both of you for the rest of my life; that plan went down the drain, didn't it?" I took a sip from the straw that was sticking out of my blood bag. We had been talking for a few hours, and he had brought it for me so I could heal properly.

"I am sorry about that, by the way," he apologized. "What Klaus did…it was incredibly inappropriate."

"Whatever." I sighed. "You know, I'm having trouble deciding whether you're a good guy or a bad guy."

"Why do you say that?" he asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Because you're going to let Klaus kill Elena," I replied softly.

"How do you know?"

"Jonas talks to himself, and I have super-hearing. Were you going to tell us?"

"When the time was right." I frowned and looked at the blood bag.

"Does Elena know?" I asked.

"I'm sure she will figure it out if she hasn't already," he replied.

"She's my friend," I told him. "I don't want to see her get hurt. Is there any other way that you can kill Klaus without having to kill her?"

"I'm afraid not," he replied coldly.

"But—"

"Enough!" Elijah snapped; I sighed and nodded reluctantly. He reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out my phone. "On a different note, this has been ringing off the hook for hours. 15 new messages and 10 texts; you're very popular."

"Really? From who?" I asked, frowning.

"The first few were from Carol Lockwood, but the rest are from Damon Salvatore. I read a few of these; very amusing." He looked at the screen and smirked. ""Where the hell are you?" "What do you mean "don't worry?"" And, of course, my personal favorite; "I'm going to kill him." I assume he means me."

"Sounds like something he'd say," I rolled my eyes.

"Do you love him?"

"Yes." I replied without hesitation. "More than anything."

"If he wasn't such an annoying idiot, I would probably be very happy for you."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Damon confronted me at the tea party; he wanted to know what I was doing in Mystic Falls. He didn't believe me when I told him, and then I taught him a lesson in respect." I knew the angry tone in Elijah's voice.

"What did you do?"

"Don't worry," he sighed. "He's alright; I only stabbed him in the neck with a pencil. No harm done."

"Elijah, what the hell! I can't belie—"

"Did you know that he was quite…cozy with another woman at the party?" he asked. I stopped, my mouth hanging open like a dead fish.

"What?" I asked with disbelief. "With who?"

"That news girl, Andie Star, I believe. They were very…comfortable with kissing in plain sight." I slumped against the pillows behind me and frowned in thought; Damon wouldn't…would he? "I have a feeling that he thought you left Mystic Falls." Oh.

"I think it's time to change the subject again," I snapped.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"_Don't worry about me. I can handle it."_ The words echoed through my head, and had been occupying my mind since I heard the message. I felt dead inside the second I heard Miranda scream; all the regret and anger I had earlier intensified.

"Today has been…terrible," I sighed, slumping into the leather chair. Alaric had stopped by after the tea party to see how I was doing; if it hadn't been for him, I probably wouldn't have gotten out of the Lockwoods' without someone seeing the blood.

"How's the throat?" he asked, handing me a glass of scotch.

"Sore."

"Yeah. That Elijah's one scary dude…but with great hair." I scoffed at him. "Why do you think he took Miranda?"

"It doesn't matter; he just did." I sighed. "He's going to be hard to kill."

"I'd think twice before I'd trust that dagger and some ashes to do the job," Rick replied. "You're gonna need more info."

"I'm out of sources."

"What are you going to do about Andie?" he asked. I rolled my eyes; now that I knew the truth, I wanted to just wash my hands of Andie. I didn't need a distraction anymore; I needed answers. "Oh no, I know that look. Damon, you're not going to kill her."

"If I did, who would report her death?" I asked.

"Just don't do it, alright? She's friends with Jenna, and it's bad enough that I'm lying to her about everything else."

"Don't worry," I replied. "I'm not going to kill her; she might be useful in getting information."

"I gotta go," Rick sighed, getting up. "I've gotta pick Jenna up; I'll show myself out."

"Good luck," I called out as he left. I closed my eyes and stretched my arms over my head; I needed to clear my mind and get my focus back.

There was a loud crashing sound coming from the front of the house, and I sat up in alarm. I got up and walked out of the library, and I found Alaric standing in the middle off the hallway with a knife in his stomach; I walked toward him to see if I could help, but he fell to the ground, groaning in pain. The scent of his blood temporarily distracted me, and I jumped when I heard footsteps behind me.

I turned around and saw some dweeby-looking guy crouched on the floor; he ran towards me and jumped onto my back. I struggled to get him off and then I felt something stick me in the neck. As I felt the vervain burning through my veins, I backed into the wall, trying to get the guy off me; each time I rammed him into the wall, I got weaker and weaker. Eventually, I fell to the floor, completely drained of energy.

"Damn, you're strong," the guy exclaimed. "I had to use the whole syringe." I heard more footsteps approach and I struggled to look up. Standing above Rick, holding a shotgun, was Jules and a few of her werewolf buddies.

"Hey Damon," she said with a fake smile. "Nice to see you again." My vision blurred and I saw them pick Rick's body before everything faded to black.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

_I was stumbling along the road, my body screaming in pain, confusion and hunger; I had lived in this area my entire life and knew it like the back of my hand, but I felt so disoriented. _

_Thunder rumbled overhead and I could hear the approaching sound of a horse galloping behind me. I stopped in my tracks and closed my eyes as I got a hollow feeling in my chest; the only thing I could focus was the loud heartbeat that was overwhelming my senses._

"_My lady Miranda," a deep voice pulled me out of the trance. "Are you alright?" I turned around and sighed when I recognized the young man; he was the son of a merchant in town, and I knew him to be the same age as I was. The concern etched on his features was very touching, especially since I didn't know him very well._

"_Yes, I suppose I'm…fine," I replied._

"_What are you doing out here by yourself?" he asked. "If you cannot tell, there is a storm approaching."_

"_I'm headed home, actually," I muttered. Could I even go home? Would mother and father be happy to see me?_

"_Do you need any assistance?" I took a deep breath and paused; what was that smell? Why hadn't I noticed it before, and more importantly, where was it coming from? I took another breath and closed my eyes, savoring the tempting aroma. "Lady Miranda…are you well? What is wrong?"_

_My eyes shot open and I stared at the man in front of me; I hesitantly raised a hand up to his face and my fingers gingerly brushed against his skin. The steady sound of a heartbeat flooded my senses again as my fingers trailed up his face and into his hair; everything went silent as I touched a large, bleeding gash that was hidden by his hair. I pulled my hand back and stared at the fresh blood that stained my fingers, tilting my head to the side slightly._

"_What happened?" I asked quietly._

"_I fell off my horse at the harbor," he chuckled. "I hit my head pretty well on a rock; one of the fishermen's wives told me I would be fine when until I got home. I felt quite…oafish."_

"_No…of course not," I whispered. Everything felt dreamlike as I lifted my hand up and licked the blood off of my finger; it tasted…odd, but not bad, and strangely addicting. I looked back up and saw a look of alarm on the man's face. "Don't be scared, please. It's fine."_

_I felt calm as I grabbed the knife from the man's belt, pushing him to the ground in the process; I took his hand in mine and made a cut on his wrist. Blood…it smelled amazing, and the more I drank from him, the better it tasted. The world, and everything around me felt clearer and better as I drank from him._

_I felt a sharp, unbearable pain in my and I let the man's arm go; I fell back on the ground and cried out in pain. When the physical pain subsided, the emotional pain took over; memories flooded my mind, clearer than they had ever been. Betrayal, anger, and sadness; they were all magnified, and it was…apocalyptic._

_I looked at the man on the ground, whose father was on the town council. The same idiotic town council who listened to all of my father's superstitious nonsense. They had decided that it was time for me to die because I had nightmares of monsters; I had overheard father talking with mother and I knew, but I was too stupid to accept it. My father had murdered me...and everyone let him._

_Before I realized it, I had grabbed the man's head and twisted it in such a way that had broken his neck. I smiled as I heard the sickening sound; I got up and continued in the direction I was headed in before, listening to the thunder that cracked overhead._

"_They'll all suffer." I muttered. "Tonight…they'll all burn."_

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I slowly opened my eyes, my eyelids feeling heavy due to the vervain; I blinked a few times, trying to get my vision to clear, and found Alaric's dead gaze meet mine. The werewolves had killed him…but they didn't know about the Gilbert ring, so he'd be fine. I tried to move, but I felt sore and confined; I turned my head with some struggle and saw that dweeb-faced wolf-man staring at me with a smirk as he held some chains in his hands.

"Morning sunshine," he said, walking around so he stood in front of me. I groaned and leaned my head up against the back of the chair I was chained to; why me? "I saw this movie ones, some torture porn flick. Anyway, they had this collar device that was really cool, so I just modified it with some wooden nails, and when I pull…" He yanked on the chains and I felt a bunch of stabbing feelings around my neck, causing me to groan loudly in pain. Oh, he was dead; the minute I got out of this chair, he was going to be _so_ dead.

"So," Jules voice rang in my ears. I took a deep breath and looked over at her. "I hear you have the moonstone." I laughed while panting to catch my breath.

"If you only knew the irony of this moment right now," I told her. "Let me tell you how this is gonna go. You're gonna torture me, I don't talk, and someone loses a heart; last time, it was your boy Mason." I felt the chains tighten the collar around my neck slightly as Jules leaned closer.

"This time," she whispered. "It'll be _you_." She looked to the side and nodded, and the wooden nails pierced my neck again; I turned my head and growled at the guy's taunting face as I groaned in pain. _Haha, think you're so tough? Wait until I get free, then I'll make you wish you weren't even born._

"You're going to tell us where the moonstone is," Jules demanded. I stayed silent and just glared at her; she motioned for one of her cronies, who handed her a shotgun. "You know what the great thing about buckshot is?" she asked, aiming at my chest. "It scatters through the body; maximum damage. Where's the moonstone?"

"Get over it, honey," I sneered. "You're never gonna get it." Jules sighed and her finger twitched on the trigger slightly.

"I swear—"

"You looking for this?" They all turned around, and I looked over and saw Elijah, casually standing on the stairs with the moonstone in his hand. What the hell was he doing here? He walked down the steps and placed it on a book that was resting on the desk. "Go ahead, take it." One of the werewolves ran toward it, and in a blur, Elijah had stopped him by ripping his heart from his chest.

He let the body fall to the couch before dropping the heart with indifference; two more quickly approached him, but he killed them just as easily. I had to say that I was impressed; he took down three werewolves without even blinking. Jules quickly ran, and the only other one—Mr. I-Love-Torture—coward to the ground, pulling his jacket over his head in fear. I watched with amusement as Elijah walked over to him, blood dripping from his hands.

"What about you, sweetheart," Elijah asked, picking him up to his feet. "You want to take a shot? No? Yes? Where's the girl?" He looked over at me.

"I don't know," I shrugged.

"It doesn't really matter," he replied. He looked at the wolf and punched him hard enough to snap his neck. I smirked; the little bastard got what was coming to him. I was only disappointed that I didn't get to do it myself. Elijah walked over to me and ripped the chains loose, letting me free.

"You do realize that this is the _third_ time I've saved your life now?" he asked.

"I could have handled it," I scoffed.

"Of course you could've," he replied sarcastically with a smirk. He turned and walked back over to the moonstone, grabbing it before he made his way to leave.

"Why do you have Miranda?" I called out after him. "What could you possibly want with her?" Elijah looked over his shoulder and smirked, then disappeared.

* * *

**Elijah's POV**

_I stood atop the manor house, watching the destruction and listening to the screams. The sun had slowly set some time ago, bringing a wave of despair that approached with each passing moment. I could see the outlines of buildings crumbling to the ground before the flames spread to them._

_ I had been looking for Miranda all morning yesterday, and I couldn't get an answer out of Elizabeth until I compelled her to tell me. When I found out truth, I left immediately, hoping to stop Philip from killing his daughter; needless to say that I got there too late. I tried to heal her, but she died anyway, in my arms. I didn't want this life for her…she didn't _deserve_ this hell._

_ "Do you see what you've created, brother?" I heard Klaus chuckle behind me. "The death…the destruction; it's breathtaking."_

_ "What are you doing here?" I asked in shock, turning to face him._

_ "I've been curious to see what keeps dragging you away," he smirked. "I didn't think such a small creature could capture someone's attention so much…until now, that is." He walked over and stood beside me, surveying the damage that was quickly spreading. "She truly is remarkable."_

_ "It's terrible," I scoffed. "She isn't doing this out of hunger; she wants revenge."_

_ "She would make a useful weapon," Klaus commented. "Just get her riled up, and then set her loose."_

_ "That isn't the point; imagine what kind of pain she must be in…how much anger is coursing through her!"_

_ "If you're trying to get me to care for her, I'm afraid it won't work." My brother sighed as he analyzed the scene playing out before us. Half the town in burning ruins, the other half left untouched; screams echoed through the night air, drifting up into a cloud-covered sky. _

"_But, I will admit," Klaus continued. "I am _very_ intrigued."_

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I surveyed the library once I got out of the chair and got myself some blood. Blood-stained carpet, 3 heartless werewolves (literally), 1 dead-but-not-for-much-longer Alaric, a large pile of chains, and a torture collar that I'm debating to either burn it—for obvious reasons—or keep it—just in case I need to do any more wolf interrogating some time soon.

My phone rang and I quickly pulled it out of my pocket to answer it.

"Miranda?" I asked, not bothering to look at the Caller ID.

"No," Bonnie said on the other end. "Why? Were you expecting a call from Miranda? Did something happen to her?"

"No…don't worry about it," I replied. "I'll fill you in later. What's up?"

"I got some answers," she said. "About Elijah."

"Great; how?"

"I used some, as you would put it, witchy juju on Luka." She sighed. "They need to use Elena in order to kill Klaus; they're going to kill her, Damon."

"What?" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, the sacrifice is part of Elijah's plan."

"Alright," I sighed. "Got it loud and clear. Did you find out if there's a way to kill Elijah?"

"Nope," Bonnie replied. "Not enough time…"

"Ugh, we'll have to keep working on that." I heard Alaric groan. "Gotta go." I hung up the phone and looked to see Rick cough a few times and sit up. "Finally! You missed all the fun." I rolled up the now-ruined area rug so I could go dispose of it, then I had to take care of the bodies. "Now that you're useful again, you can help me clean up."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

_I felt fingertips brush softly against my cheek, effectively waking me up. "Five more minutes…please? I don't want nightmares anymore."_

_ "I didn't know I was a nightmare," someone whispered into my ear. I slowly opened my eyes and saw Damon's face inches from mine. I sighed as he leaned closer and gently brushed his lips against mine. HOLD ON ONE GODDAMN MINUTE! I pushed him away from me and saw that we were on the bed in his bedroom at the boarding house. I quickly got up and rushed across the room._

_ "What the hell!" I exclaimed in shock. "What give you the right to break into my mind and hijack my dreams?"_

_ "You were having a nightmare," he shrugged. "I didn't think you'd mind."_

_ "Oh, I mind," I told him. "Get the hell out of here _this minute_!"_

_ "No," he replied, sitting up against the headboard. "I wanted to talk to you."_

_ "That seems to be a popular order lately," I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "What do you want?"_

_ "Where are you Miranda?" he asked._

_ "In your bedroom," I replied, motioning to the room. "You put us here, so I thought that it was obvious."_

_ "You know what I mean," he huffed. "Where's Elijah keeping you?"_

_ "I wish I knew." I shrugged. "The only thing I know is that it's still in Mystic Falls."_

_ "When is he letting you go? I need you back."_

_ "Sure," I scoffed. "I heard that you found my replacement incredibly quickly." Damon rushed across the room and stood in front of me, regret in his eyes._

_ "That was a mistake, Miranda," he said quickly. "I only want you; I _need _you. I love you."_

_ "I want to believe you…" I sighed in frustration. "But it's difficult to understand why you would think I ran from you so easily."_

_ "What was I supposed to do?" he asked, frowning and taking my hand in his._

_ "Have some faith in me for once?" I asked. I pulled my hand out of his and placed my hands on either side of his face, my thumbs brushing over his cheeks. "I'm very disappointed in you, Damon."_

_ "I'm sorry." There was an immeasurable amount of sadness in his eyes, and it made me want to kiss him and let him know that everything was going to be alright…but I couldn't forgive him that easily. I took my hands from his face and sighed._

_ "Actions speak louder than words…or dream invasions," I whispered, poking him lightly in the chest. I pushed him away and walked over to the fireplace to watch the flames dance._

_ "I need to ask you something," he sighed and took a step closer to me before stopping. "Why did Elijah take you? I mean…were you two ever—"_

_ "Oh gross," I scoffed in disgust. I looked over my shoulder at Damon. "God no! Gag-o-meter just went through the roof."_

_ "Then why?" he asked with a frown. "Miranda? Why?"_

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I could feel the dream slip through my fingers as Miranda woke up, and suddenly I was all alone in my room. "Damn it!" I yelled, taking a book off of my nightstand and throwing it across the room. I ran a hand over my forehead and through my hair out of frustration; I needed to get her back. I needed to kill Elijah and get her back…_now_.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I splashed the cold water on my face and put my hands on the porcelain top of the sink as I took a few deep breaths. I didn't want to go back to sleep; I knew I would just wake up anyways from a nightmare. I remembered the demons that lurked in the shadows of my mind when I was a kid; they were figments of my imagination, created from all the stories my father would tell me.

Once I became a vampire, they died down. What could hurt me if _I_ was the one that could rip people into pieces? When they eventually returned, they weren't the product of too many ghost stories. _I_ was the monster in my dreams; I had to relive every kill, and feel every drop of blood that stained my hands again. It was terrible…and I only had myself to blame.

I closed the light and walked out of the bathroom; I walked over to the window and opened it. I slowly tried to put my hand outside, only to hit an invisible barrier.

"So he was telling the truth," I sighed.

"You didn't believe me?" I turned around and saw Elijah standing there with an amused smirk. I rolled my eyes and looked back out the window.

"I don't trust you," I replied.

"Oh?"

"How come you never told me about the curse…or the werewolves…or any of it?"

"I was trying to protect you."

"No," I shook my head. "I didn't need you to protect me anymore; I could take care of myself."

"You did."

"From who?"

"From Klaus," he snapped. I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

"I wasn't scared of him…I've never been scared of him, not even now."

"Well, you should be."

"Just like I should be scared of you?" I asked, earning silence from Elijah. "Anyways, why would I be in any danger if I knew about any of it?" He sighed, turned around and walked back over to the door. "No, don't go. Tell me." He left without another word.

I sighed and sat down on the floor, looking up at the night sky.

* * *

_Everything was quiet as I ran as fast as I could; the only thing in the air was the thick feeling of death. I killed them all—men, women, and children—sparing no one. That wasn't me; why would I do something like that? I wiped the tears from my face as I ran; what had I become?_

_ The further I ran, the more insecure I felt; I spent my whole life confined to those walls that were now crumbled to pieces. How many times had I dreamed of seeing what the rest of the world was like? Now I could, and I felt alone. I slowly stopped as I reached an unfamiliar field of golden wheat; they swayed slightly in the dull breeze._

_ "It's as if they're dancing." I was shocked to hear the familiar voice, and I turned around; I watched Elijah for a minute before running toward him and into his arms._

_ "I didn't mean to do it, Elijah," I cried. "They're all dead and it's my fault."_

_ "It's ok," he whispered, stroking my hair. "Everything will be ok."_

_ "No," I shook my head. Elijah pushed me away and took my face in his hands, wiping away my tears gently. I felt like a little girl again, when he wiped my tears away after I woke up screaming from nightmares._

_ "You made a mistake," he said. "Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. You were in pain, and you are still in pain. They betrayed you; they brought it onto themselves." My memories pushed out of their haze and I pushed him away._

_ "You did this to me, didn't you?"_

_ "Yes, I did. I did this to save you."_

_ "Why?"_

_ "Because I care about you."_

_ "But you lied; you aren't my family," I frowned. "All this time, you lied to me. Who are you?"_

_ "Oh, but that is where you are wrong," he said. "I'm the only person you can trust, therefore I'm the closest thing to family you truly have left."_

**A/N: Alright, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If there are any grammatical errors up there, I'm really sorry; I'd also like to apologize for the tardiness of this chapter. I've had computer issues and now the carnival is in town, so distractions were a bit of an issue.**

**The feedback from the last chapter—as well as the other ones—was absolutely awesome. It's very encouraging; thanks a bunch!**

**Reviews are always appreciated. More to come soon…well, sooner than this time. **


	42. Version Two Point Oh

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Damon's POV**

I was lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling as I thought about how terrible I was…how lonely I felt. Stefan and Elena were probably getting their freak on at the lake house—note to self: never say "getting their freak on" ever again—so the Boarding House was empty. It wasn't like I wanted to see them anyways; there was only one face I wanted to see and one voice I wanted to hear…one person I _needed_.

"Hey sleepy head," an enthusiastic voice rang through my bedroom as she quietly slipped through the door. I sighed; Andie was not that person.

"What do you want?" I snapped at her, shooting her an angry glare.

"I wanted to help you out of your little depression," she said, walking over to the window and pulling the blinds open. "You haven't called me in days…"

"There _is_ a reason for that." I cut her off, as I sat up and watched as she sat on the edge of the bed right next to me.

"…so I wanted to stop by and see what was wrong." I watched as she ran a hand over my arm. "You can tell me what's bothering you, you know…I'm here."

I didn't want Andie here; sure she was a good walking blood bag, but aside from that, I just wanted her to go away. Over the past few days, I tried to get back into Miranda's dreams to talk to her again, but every time I tried I hit a wall.

"If you want her back, you can't just sit in bed all day and sulk," Andie said softly. "You have to kill him, don't you; Elijah? Is that the only way to get her back?"

"Pretty much," I sighed. "I can't wait until he "let's her go.""

"Then that's what you have to do," she replied, reaching up and removing her scarf. "First, you need blood. Go ahead." She pushed her hair out of the way, revealing her neck. I thought about it for a minute before leaning in and ripping through her skin, drinking as much of her blood as I needed.

As much as I hated to admit it, Andie was right; I needed to get Miranda back, and the only way to do it was to kill Elijah. Once Elijah was dead, Elena would be safe, and Miranda would be back here, where she belonged.

* * *

"What's going on?" Stefan asked when he answered the phone.

"Well, I showered, I shaved." I looked over at Andie, who had just finished cleaning the bloody mess I made of her neck. "Had breakfast. Now I'm relaxed and very…determined."

"Really?" Stefan asked. "That makes one of us at least. Is Miranda—"

"I'm working on it, actually." I said, trying not to snap.

"I haven't told Elena what happened…I didn't want her to worry."

"Good, because there's nothing wrong," I told him. "I have it under control."

"Don't do anything stupid, Damon."

"Why is it that everyone assumes I'm going to do something stupid?"

"Because you usually do." I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

"I have some good news," I said, changing the subject. "Tyler Lockwood skipped town the other night."

"How do you know?" he asked. Andie turned around and waved goodbye with a smile before leaving.

"Well, I heard it from Rick, who heard that a very distraught Carol Lockwood went to the school and told them about Tyler. That ends our werewolf problem, bringing us to…"

"Killing Elijah," Stefan finished for me.

"Exactly," I smirked.

"Well, it's not going to be easy," he replied. "He's crafty."

"Well, I've got a crafty little dagger," I told him, picking up the dagger from its place on the nightstand.

"He's an Original. We don't know what all that encompasses."

"Oh, trust me Stefan." I sighed. "I'm going to dot all my t's. I don't want any surprises."

"Wow, Damon, tell me you're actually gonna be careful for once."

"Yes, Stefan," I smirked. "I've become you; how tragic for both of us. Gotta run; I have a murder to plan. Busy day."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

A week. That's how long I've been in this hell hole—and it's the amount of time I've taken to get so annoyed with this place that I _call it_ a hell hole. I've been tired, bored, hungry—that would be my fault though, since I've been refusing blood since the fourth day—angry, and even borderline catatonic at one point.

I was going stir crazy, and weird ideas began to spring up in my mind. If I cut a hole in the floor, would there still be an invisible witch barrier preventing me from going through it? If the building was to suddenly and mysteriously vaporize, would I be stuck in a floating bubble? Elijah knew that the wheels were turning in my head, even if didn't say anything; he just gave me a "don't you dare try anything stupid, Miranda" look that caused me to groan in annoyance.

It wasn't exactly_ my_ fault; he was the one who put me in here, talked to me about an endless amount of things daily, and never thought I would need something else to occupy my time. The only thing I looked forward to was eavesdropping on Jonas and his son's conversations; it was so…terrible yet addicting, almost like a soap opera.

A knock on the door pulled me from the repetitive task of tracing the wallpaper pattern in my mind, and I watched as Luka cautiously stuck his head inside the room.

"Yes?" I asked, shocked that my voice sounded weak from lack of use.

"Uh…" There was a look in his eyes—confusion; I smirked when I realized it was because he didn't know whether or not I was going to try and kill him. I will admit that the thought did go through my mind a few times, but then I would still be stuck here, so that wouldn't do me any good. "I was wondering if you were bored," he finally said.

"Really?" I scoffed.

"Well…I mean, I wanted to know if you would like some company." He shrugged. "Elijah's the only one who's been talking to you…maybe it's just me, but he doesn't seem like he would make a good friend."

"He's not my friend," I snapped at him. "Every minute he keeps me here makes that more true. I haven't put my finger on the reason why you and your father are working with him yet."

"We're helping him…and he's helping us." Luka shrugged, leaning against the wall. "Simple as that."

"Alright, whatever," I scoffed. "Don't tell me."

"Oh!" he exclaimed after a moment or two of silence. "I forgot something. Wait here." He left and I sighed; it's not like I could go anywhere. He walked back into the room—with more confidence this time now that he knew I wasn't going to rip his throat out—and handed me a small package. I took it from him and looked at it.

"Seriously?"

"Elijah said you weren't going to drink any blood, but I figured that you must want something to drink at least." I easily ripped open the plastic wrap and pulled out a small wax bottle filled with blue liquid.

"Seriously?" I asked him. "The gesture is appreciated…but it couldn't have at least been a juice _box_?"

"Elijah said that you might stab us with the little pointy end of the straw…I guess these are safer."

"Nice to know that he has so much faith in me," I sighed, pulling the plastic tab off the top of the bottle and testing the juice. "Thanks."

"No problem."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"Hey," I said as Rick slid across from Andie and I at the Grill.

"Hey, thanks for…" he looked at Andie for a second before turning back to me. "Meeting me here."

"Yeah, what's up?" I asked.

"I was just with Jenna and Elijah," he replied. "She was showing him all the old property lines."

"And?"

"I don't know…there's something weird about him."

"Of course there's something weird about him," I scoffed, putting my glass on the table. "Did you get anything out of him…you know, other than the lecture on the history of Mystic Falls."

"No, it was boring," Rick said, fumbling with a spoon on the table. "Of course…Jenna thinks he's charming."

"You sound jealous," I told him, turning to Andie. "Sound a bit jealous?"

"You kinda do," she replied.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about this here," he sighed.

"Look, Andie's been compelled not to divulge my secrets, so it's fine," I told him.

"Uh-huh," Andie said, gazing at me sweetly. "My lips are sealed." She leaned over and kiss my cheek.

"This is too weird," Rick sighed uncomfortably. I fought the urge to say "tell me about it."

"I just need the right opportunity to get Elijah away so I can use the dagger," I said, drumming my fingers on the table. I noticed two people walking into the Grill and I looked up to see Jenna and Elijah. "Well, speak of the devil. There's Jenna with her new boyfriend."

Rick turned around and forced a smile as they walked over and stood next to our table.

"Hey guys," Jenna greeted with a smile; I wasn't looking at Elijah, but I could feel him glaring at me.

"I hear you two had a meeting of historical minds today," I said to Jenna.

"Uh, yeah," she looked at Elijah, then back to me. "I guess you could say that."

"Well, as much as I'd love to continue this, I've got papers to grade," Rick said as he got up.

"You know what? We should continue this," Andie said excitedly. "Let's have a dinner party."

"Look at my girl, full of good ideas," I said. "I'll be happy to host; tonight, maybe?"

"It's good for me," Andie smiled. "Jenna?"

"I don't know if tonight works," Rick said, only to be interrupted by Jenna.

"I'm free," she chirped happily before sending a questioning glare towards Rick. I finally looked over at Elijah.

"It'd be a pleasure," he said with a smirk.

"Great." Now it was time to put a plan into action.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"God, I knew that I was bored, but I never realized that I was this desperate for entertainment," I muttered as I flipped through the book, willing myself to keep going further. I had asked Luka if he had anything that I could read to pass the time, but I didn't expect him to give me a textbook about quantum mechanics.

I shut the book loudly as the door opened and Elijah walked in. "What? No "hello dear, how was your day?"" He asked condescendingly.

"You've obviously never heard of knocking." I said. "It's a very popular trend nowadays."

"No need to be snarky, Miranda," he replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "Especially since I brought you a surprise."

"I'm not going to drink any blood," I snapped, sitting up.

"Not blood," he said. Elijah walked back out the door and brought in a duffel bag and a garment bag that I recognized as mine; he carefully placed both on the chair across the room. "I need you to look presentable tonight."

"Excuse me?" I asked. "What are you talking about?"

"It seems that I've been invited to a dinner party," he replied. "I thought you might like to join me." I got up and walked over to him.

"No," I told him.

"I wasn't asking," he deadpanned. "You will be joining me… unless you would rather stay here by yourself, that is." I stared straight into his eyes and he arched an eyebrow, but continued to play the game; I was a pro at staring contests, but I knew Elijah was better once my eyes started watering after a few minutes.

"Son of a bitch," I curse, looking away and blinking rapidly. I turned back to him and sighed. "Fine. You win."

"Thank you," he said with a smirk. I knew that smirk…it was not a good smirk; it was a "my plan is coming together" smirk.

"What is going on in that head of yours," I asked, poking him in the chest. "What are you planning?"

"Nothing at all," he replied with a shrug, but I knew better than to believe him.

"Elijah," I said in a warning tone. "You better not do anything, or else."

"Or else what?" he asked, amused.

"I don't know…but all I have is time and imagination," I said.

"Point taken."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"This is a bad idea," Rick insisted as I poured him a drink.

"There's no such thing as a bad idea," I said, handing him a glass of scotch. "Jus poorly executed awesome ones."

"No, I don't like the idea of Elijah being in the same house with Jenna."

"Jenna's perfectly safe," I scoffed. "She's on Elena's list of people to protect. Besides, it's just a fact-finding mission; totally harmless."

"Fact-finding mission?" Rick asked skeptically.

"Yeah."

"Listen, no sneak attacks, no surprise plans. Nothing that's gonna put Jenna in harm's way, ok?"

"Scout's honor," I told him.

"You were never a boy scout," he replied. "At least, I don't think you were."

"Touché." Andie walked into the library and smiled at Rick.

"Hey, Jenna needs help with the wine," she said. He sighed and handed me his empty glass as he left to help Jenna. I turned and walked over to the desk, where I grabbed the dagger.

"What's that?" Andie asked.

"Dessert," I replied with a smirk. I uncorked the ash vial and dipped the dagger inside. "Elijah's stronger than me, and faster than me. It's all about the element of surprise." I looked at the dagger before placing it on the desk and putting everything away; now I knew that it was going to work, thanks to Katherine, and I was going to end this once and for all.

"Oh, that's too bad," Andie said. "I like him; he's very old-school…classy."

"Which is why you should encourage the gentlemen to take their after dinner drinks in here while you do coffee in the kitchen with Jenna." I walked across the room and hid the dagger amongst the glasses and decanters of liquor.

"Hmm," she sighed, following me. "That's a little too sexist for me." I heard the doorbell ring and took her face in my hands.

"Stop talking," I told her. I quickly made my way to the front door and found that Jenna had opened it. Our favorite pain-in-the-ass walked inside with a condescending smirk.

"Who invited him?" Jenna asked angrily.

"John. Surprise," I said with a forced smile that vanished immediately. "Leave."

"When Jenna told me she was coming to a dinner party for Elijah, I decided I couldn't miss out on all the fun and games," he said.

"There aren't going to be any games tonight, John." Alaric said from behind me. "It's just a friendly dinner party."

"What he said," I snapped in John's face.

"Well, that doesn't mean he can't stay," Andie said walking over and leading him further inside. "We have enough food to feed an army; come on in."

"Great," I groaned once everyone was gone. "Just what I need." I went to the sitting room to find John standing at the fireplace, and Rick glaring at him; I hated him, Rick hated him…everyone hated him.

"You know, John, it's rude to go somewhere you're not invited," Rick said.

"If I'm not mistaken, Ms. Star just invited me. Which reminds me," John turned to face me with a smirk. "Where's Miranda?" A low growl escaped from my chest, and John's smirk just got bigger. God, how I'd love to knock it off his face…or his head off of his shoulders.

"None of your business," I snapped.

"Has the…guest of honor arrived yet?" John asked. The door bell rang once more and I was relieved that something distracted me from killing him.

"That must be Elijah now," Rick said, pushing me toward the entrance of the room. "You better go get that." I nodded and walked down the hall to the door; I placed my hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath to compose myself.

"Good evening," Elijah said once I opened the door. The smile I had forced wavered and then disappeared when I noticed the smirk on his face…and then the person standing next to him. I should have recognized her immediately…but I didn't; it was the loosely curled shoulder-length hair that threw me off. My gaze flickered to her hand gently resting on his arm, with his hand over hers, and then back to her face.

"Miranda…"

"Hey Damon," she breathed out. The pain in her soft voice was accompanied by the betrayed look in her eyes; I wanted to die, because I knew I had caused it…and I wanted to kill Elijah for making it happen. I had to wait, though. It wasn't the right time to kill him, but I knew that tonight Elijah would die.

**A/N: Well, there you go. Reviews are always appreciated. There's more to come soon...**


	43. Learn to Hate

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Damon's POV**

"Uh…thank you for coming," I said to them, composing myself for what felt like the millionth time today. "Come in."

"Just one moment," Elijah said, stopping Miranda from moving inside. "Can I just say that if you have…less than honorable intentions about how this evening is going to proceed, I suggest you reconsider." I turned to Miranda, who looked away when our eyes met; I felt guilty for hurting her, just like I had hundreds of times before.

"No, nothing," I lied to him. "Nothing dishonorable. This is just a…getting to know you."

"Well, that's good," Elijah sighed. "Because, you know, although Elena and I have this deal, if you so much as make a move to cross me, I'll kill you and everyone in this house." Miranda's eyes widened and her head snapped to the left to look at him.

"Elijah!" she hissed quietly.

"Miranda," he said in a tone of finality. He turned back to me. "Are we clear?"

"Crystal," I replied. Elijah's gaze flickered over my shoulder and he smiled.

"Jenna, wonderful to see you again," he said, leading Miranda inside. "How are you? You look incredible." I closed the door and turned around, watching the three of them silently.

"Thank you." Jenna finally noticed Miranda standing there, her hand finally free of Elijah's grasp. "Miranda! Oh my god, look at you; I can barely recognize you. What are you doing here," she asked excitedly.

"I invited her," Elijah cut in. "I hope it won't be an imposition."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Jenna laughed and motioned for them to follow her. I quickly walked up and grabbed Miranda's arm as she started to leave.

"We need to talk," I whispered into her ear.

"Whatever," she replied blankly, tugging her arm from my grasp. "Not now." She turned and followed Jenna and Elijah; I ran a hand through my hair and sighed.

"This is going to be a long night."

* * *

I had been watching Miranda since we all sat down at the table and began eating, and noticed that she was very distant and robotic; she was sitting perfectly straight and staring directly at her plate as she ate, only looking up when she reached for her glass of wine.

"I hate to break it to you Damon," Jenna said, breaking the silence in the dining room. "But according to Elijah, your family is so not a founder of this town."

"Hmm, do tell," I replied, looking over at him.

"Well, as I mentioned to Jenna earlier," Elijah began, "a faction of settlers migrated from Salem after the witch trials in the 1690's. Over the next hundred years, they developed this community where they could feel safe from persecution."

"Yeah, because they were witches," Jenna added with a mischievous smile.

"But there's no tangible proof there were witches in Salem," Andie replied. I turned to Elijah and smirked.

"Andie's a journalist," I told him. "Big on facts."

"Well, the lore says that there was this wave of anti-witch hysteria," Elijah continued. "It broke out in the neighboring settlement. So these witches were rounded up, tied to stakes in a field and, uh, burned. Some say you could hear their screams from miles around as they were consumed by the fire. Could you pass the…"

"Sounds morbid," Miranda said, speaking for the first time since she walked away from me earlier, as she passed along the salt shaker. "I would hate to have witnessed it."

"Yeah," Jenna replied. "I wouldn't repeat this to the Historical society."

"It's starting to sound a little like a ghost story to me," John interjected. I glared at him before returning my attention to Elijah.

"So why do you want to know the location of these…alleged massacres?" I asked, and everyone stilled as they waited for his answer.

"You know," he shrugged. "A healthy historian's curiosity, of course."

"Of course," I repeated.

"So, Elijah, how long have you known Miranda?" Andie asked, breaking the awkward silence after a few minutes; she was proving herself to be more useful than just a walking-talking blood bag every time she opened her mouth.

"Yeah, I was starting to wonder that too," I added. "I didn't think you ever met her, especially since I didn't have the _pleasure_ of meeting you until the Tea Party."

"I've known Miranda for almost her entire life," Elijah replied, quickly glancing at me with a smirk. "I was a friend of her brother's until he passed away a few years ago, and then we…lost touch. I didn't even know she lived in Mystic Falls until last week, actually."

"Isn't that interesting," I said with a fake smile. I turned and looked at Miranda, who was sitting between Jenna and I, and avoiding eye. "By the way, Miranda, where have you been lately? It's like you just disappeared off the face of the Earth."

"I've been visiting my parents for the past week," she lied, pushing some food around her plate. "Nothing special."

"I was wondering why the mailman had to put everything on your porch swing," Jenna laughed. "When did you get back?"

"This afternoon, actually," Elijah answered for her. "I picked her up from the airport, but when I asked her if she wanted to join me tonight, I didn't think she would be so jet-lagged."

"I guess I should have stayed home," Miranda mumbled so softly, even I barely caught it. She sighed and then looked around at everyone at the table before pushing out her chair and standing up. "Excuse me, I need to use the washroom and then the telephone." I immediately mimicked her actions.

"I can show you where they are," I said, hoping that I could get some time alone with her.

"I'm sure I can find them myself," she replied.

"Don't you have your cell phone?" Alaric asked. "You usually bring it everywhere."

"Dead battery." I noticed her quickly looking over at Elijah and then back to Alaric.

"Well, then I _have_ to show you where the phone is," I smirked and felt Elijah's glare as I took Miranda by the arm and led her out of the room.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I turned the faucet on and splashed the cold water on my face. I didn't want to be here, not in the same room as Damon, not in the same_ house_ as Damon either.

I looked up at my reflection and sighed; I didn't look like myself…I didn't _feel _like myself either. Being out there, in a room with humans that had fresh blood pumping through their veins, was not good for my growing hunger I noticed a blur behind me and saw Damon leaning against the door with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I left you outside for a reason," I told him.

"We need to talk. Now!" I turned around and slapped him, hard.

"I hate you!" I snapped.

"No you don't," he muttered, obviously hurt by my words. I sighed and closed my eyes, regretting my words, but still wishing they were true because of what he did.

"No," I replied. "I don't, but I should. I feel so betrayed by you…so disappointed in you. I keep thinking of reasons why I should hate you, but I just can't. I love you too much! Why couldn't you love me enough to have a little faith in me?"

"I do love you," he sighed, cupping my face in his hand. I backed away from him, but he followed me, placing his arms on the countertop on either side of me. "I will always love you…only you."

"You have an odd way of showing it," I replied coldly, turning around so I would have to look at him anymore. Obviously I forgot about the mirror in front of me. Damon pushed my hair off to one shoulder and pressed his face into my neck; I closed my eyes as he breathed deeply. I wanted him to go away; why did he have to stay here and make me want to kiss him so much? He made me hurt, and he was the only thing that was going to make the hurt go away, but…I just couldn't let him back in. Not yet.

"You're hungry," he whispered. "Aren't you?"

"Yeah," I breathed out. "I was about to rip your little girlfriend open and drain her. I came here to get a little control."

"Go ahead," he muttered, resting his head on my shoulder. "Kill her. I don't want her; never did, never will. After tonight, I'll have you back anyways." After he said that, everything disappeared—my hunger, my anger, my pain—and I frowned. I turned around and pushed Damon away from me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, frowning.

"I said too much," he replied, catching the mistake he made.

"No, no, no! What are you planning, Damon?" I asked.

"Nothing."

"Damon!" I said in a warning tone.

"Don't worry about it," he sighed. "It's nothing." He was about to reach for the doorknob, but I stopped him by grabbing him by the throat and pinning him to the door.

"I know you," I whispered. "You do stupid things all the time, but I'm warning you this time, Damon. Don't do it."

"It's nothing," he repeated.

"You don't understand, Damon. One wrong move and Elijah will kill everyone!" I sighed and let him go. "I don't want to lose you, Damon." He cautiously placed his hands on my waist and pulled me against his chest.

"You won't," he whispered in my ear. "Everything is going to be fine." I looked him in the eye and softly brushed my lips against his.

"Don't do anything stupid," I whispered after I pulled away, still staying as close as I could without actually touching him.

"I knew you cared," he said with a smirk before giving me a rough, but passionate kiss. I pushed him away immediately.

"I love you, but I don't forgive you," I told him, backing away.

"I know," he replied sadly. "But I hope you will, eventually." He turned the knob and walked out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. I backed into the wall and slid down to the floor, letting the tears fall from my eyes.

This was Elijah's fault; _everything_ was his fault. He and Klaus were the only ones to blame for any of this. "I hate this," I sobbed. "I hate _them_…so much."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

Miranda had returned to the dining room a few minutes after I did and I noticed that she looked sad, despite the small smile that played on her lips.

"So, how was the phone call?" Elijah asked as Jenna poured him another glass of wine.

"Fine," Miranda replied with a shrug as she sat down. "Mom and Dad told me to say "hi.""

Eventually, the conversation dulled to small talk, but I could sense the tension between Elijah and Miranda; there was a wordless conversation that they shared. I hadn't figured out how they knew each other yet, and it bothered me. In her dream, she seemed both amused and disgusted when I brought it up, so it obviously wasn't that—I knew better than to doubt Miranda twice.

"Does anyone care for some cognac?" I asked, getting everyone's attention. They were all finished with dinner, and I thought it would be the perfect time to start my plan. "I have a bottle I've been saving for ages."

"Ugh, non for me, thanks," Alaric groaned, pushing his wine glass away from him. "Nine bottles of wine is my limit." I groaned inwardly as everyone began to stand up and clear the table; I looked over at Andie and nodded toward Elijah.

"The gentlemen should take their drinks in the study," she said with a smile, before looking at me for approval.

"I have to say, the food was almost as wonderful as the company," Elijah said, smirking at Andie.

"I like you," she replied, playing with her scarf.

"Do you need any help?" Miranda asked Jenna, who was clearing off the table.

"That'd be great," Jenna laughed. "Could you get some of the wine glasses, please?" She then turned to John and pushed a stack of plates in his hand. "Here, ungentleman, make yourself useful."

"So," I turned to Elijah. "Cognac?"

"Lead the way," he replied, motioning for me to go. I led him out of the dining room and towards the library, but not without looking back at Miranda for a second. I caught her gaze and she quickly shook her head in disapproval before turning and following Jenna to the kitchen.

As soon as we walked into the library, I went and poured the cognac, eyeing the hidden dagger; I had to wait to strike until Elijah least expected it. I had to get him to relax around me first, and not suspect anything.

"So, let me guess," I said as I grabbed another glass. "In addition to the moonstone, the doppelganger, the lion, the witch and the wardrobe, you need to find this witch burial ground."

"Because I feel as though we've grown so close, Damon, I'll tell you yes," Elijah replied, looking around the library. "Do you know where it is?"

"Maybe," I lied. "Tell me why it's so important."

"Sorry, we're not that close," he said.

"Not as close as you are to Miranda, right?" I asked. He looked over his shoulder and smirked at me.

"Do you feel threatened?" he asked in reply. I suppressed a growl that was threatening to let loose. "I've known Miranda for a long time, and I can assure you that our…relationship is completely platonic. She only has eyes for you; what she sees in you, I will never understand, but I do speak the truth." Elijah walked over and took the glass from me, then turned around and gestured to the walls, and the endless number of books that lined them. "It's quite a collection you have here. It's a funny thing about books; before they existed, people actually had memories."

I smirked and slowly picked up the dagger, careful not to make a sound. This was my chance; he wouldn't know what hit him. Just as I was about to make my move, the doors to the library burst open and in walked Alaric and Andie; I quickly placed the dagger back on the tray and turned to face him.

"Gentlemen," Rick said, trying to catch his breath. "We forgot about dessert."

"Elijah," Andie said, holding her hand out to him.

"Miss Star," he replied, handing me the glass back as he walked over and took Andie's hand, twirled her around and led her out. I finished the contents of the glass and glared at Rick once they were gone.

I hit Rick in the arm and mouthed "what is it?" He pointed to the dagger and I raised my arms in question. He walked over to the desk and picked up a notepad, quickly scribbling something down on it. He quickly turned around and I grabbed the paper from him to read what he wrote. _The Dagger Will Kill You If You Use It._ I angrily tossed it aside; this was just great. How were we going to kill him now?

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I held out the delicate porcelain coffee cups and Jenna poured the coffee into them; when she was done I placed them on the table. John was leaning against the wall nonchalantly, watching us like the creep that he was.

"You could help, you know," I told him.

"I don't like getting my hands dirty," he smirked and walked over to his seat. I rolled my eyes and as Elijah and Andie walked into the dining room.

"Sorry guys," Jenna apologized as she put down the silver coffee pot. "Dessert's going to take a little bit longer than I thought. I usually just unwrap food." She gave a bashful smile and then left to go check on the pastry we had put in the oven to warm up a few minutes ago.

The rest of us sat down and I handed the others each a cup of coffee.

"Oh, Elijah, I know this is a social thing," Andie said, sounding kind of nervous. "But I would really love to ask you some more questions about the work that you're doing here."

"I'd love to answer," he replied with a kind smile as he put sugar into his coffee.

"Great, that's so great!" Andie exclaimed as Damon and Alaric joined us. "Rick, would you do me a favor and grab the notebook out of my bag?" Rick nodded and walked across the hall to the living room.

"Elijah, did John tell you he's Elena's uncle slash father?" Damon asked as he sat down. I noticed the glare he sent John's way and frowned; I didn't like John either—understatement of the century—but he was behaving himself tonight.

"Yes, I'm well aware of that," Elijah replied.

"Of course, she hates him," Damon continued. "So there's absolutely no need to keep him on the endangered species list." Excuse me, but what? I looked at John, then Damon; what the hell was going on?

"Rick, it's in the front pocket," Andie called across the hall, then sighed and stood up. "On the…you know what? Excuse me, guys. Sorry." She left, going to the living room to help Rick.

"What I'd like to know, Elijah, is how do you intend on killing Klaus?" John asked.

"I don't think that this is appropriate conversation in the presence of a lady," Elijah said, gesturing towards me. "Besides, we should probably get a few things clear right now. I allow you to live solely to keep an eye on Elena; I allow her to remain in her house, living a life with her friends as a courtesy. If you become a liability, I'll take her away from you and you'll never see her again."

"Ok," Andie said, walking back over and sitting down. "Got it. My first question is, when you got here to Mystic—"

Andie was abruptly caught off when Elijah left out a loud scream, causing everyone to jump in shock. Slowly, Elijah's skin became gray and his body lifeless. I watched Alaric pull something out of the back of Elijah's chair and place it on the table; it was dagger, that was discolored from age.

"Get rid of him," Rick told Damon. "Before Jenna comes back with dessert."

"Alright," Damon nodded; he looked over at Andie. "Andie, go home."

"But—"

"Now!" He snapped, and she kicked it into high gear and ran out of the dining room. "John, do you mind helping me with him?"

"Sorry, no can do," he shrugged. "I'm going home; this is your mess to clean up." John started leaving but Damon rushed in front of him and grabbed his arm. "Don't think that you're in the clear, Gilbert. You're lucky I'm not killing you right now." John pulled his arm free and left, leaving only Alaric, Damon and I in the dining room with Elijah's dead body.

"What the hell's going on?" I asked. "Is he really dead?"

"Miranda, can you go distract Jenna while we…take care of this?" Rick asked.

"No, I want an answer!" I snapped.

"I'll tell you everything when we come back and Rick takes Jenna home," Damon replied. "I promise. Now can you just—"

"Alright," I sighed. "Whatever. I'll go."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

Rick and I threw Elijah onto the floor of the cellar, and I dusted off my hands.

"You said there wasn't going to be any violence," Rick sighed.

"Says the guy that did all the killing," I replied.

"Hey, I took the shot because I saw an opening, not because I planned to do this with Jenna in the house. You lied to me earlier; I'm your friend, and you don't have _any_ friends, so no more lying. Alright?"

I nodded and he left, then I looked at Elijah's body. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and turned it on.

"Damn it, Stefan," I muttered when I saw all the missed calls. I closed the door to the cellar behind me and walked upstairs as I called him back.

"Damon?" Stefan answered. "What happened? Did Alaric stop you from—"

"Relax, brother," I stopped him. "Everything's fine. Alaric killed him, and now he's going to rot in the cellar for the rest of time…or until we bury him in the woods."

"It's nice to know you can joke at a time like this," Stefan sighed. There was a pause and then he continued. "Thank you."

"Whatever," I replied. "Bye." I closed the phone and walked upstairs.

"…I'll be able to get home alright; don't worry," I heard Miranda say by the front door. "Bye Rick, bye Jenna." I walked up behind her and watched as she waved goodbye and shut the door. "You have a big mess to clean up," she told me as she leaned against the door.

"What?" I asked. "I have a mess to clean up?"

"Your dinner party," she shrugged.

"It was Andie's idea, actually."

"I don't really care," she sighed and closed her eyes. "I just want to go home, get some—hold on, there's a mess waiting for me at home. Ugh, I need to really go on vacation."

"No you don't," I said, walking up to her.

"Yes, actually, I do," she replied.

"No," I shook my head. "I'm not letting you out of my sight again." I pushed a lock of her hair out of her eyes and just stood there, watching her.

"Do you have any blood?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," I nodded. "Down in the—" My phone interrupted me and I scoffed, pulling it out of my pocket.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"Stefan." I frowned and answered. "What is it now?"

"Did you take the dagger out?" he asked frantically.

"What?" I asked.

"Damon, this is important," he said gravely. "When you killed Elijah, did you take the dagger out?"

"Why is it important, Stefan?"

"Because he'll only stay dead if you leave it in." I quickly shut the phone and rushed into the dining room to grab the dagger, before going down to the cellar. When I got there, the cell door was open, and Elijah was gone. Miranda appeared beside me and gasped in shock when she saw the empty room.

"Damn it!" I turned and hit the wall with enough force to make a small crack. Miranda muttered something and I looked at her. "What is it?"

"Elijah's going to go for Elena," she repeated. "He said that he would take her away if you did anything stupid. He's going to go for Elena…right now! Where is she?"

"With Stefan at Dunham Lake," I said, then grabbed her hand and pulled her along with me. "We have to get there before he does."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"Little tip," Damon's voice echoed in my ears as I took a step out of the house and around Stefan and Elena. "Don't take the dagger out." It was weird, staring at Elijah's dead body for the third time in such a short period of time. It wasn't a bad weird either, but it was weird.

I knelt down next to his body and took his hand in mine, remembering the times he would hold my hand when he took me exploring just to make sure I didn't stray too far and hurt myself. I used to felt so safe when I was with him, but now he was just there, like a box someone shoves in the attic to be forgotten.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I stood up, dropping Elijah's hand like it was on fire. "Are you alright?" Damon asked.

"Yeah," I nodded and looked at him. "I'm perfectly fine."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I had been focused on the road for most of the ride back; I glanced over at Miranda, who was leaning against the window with her eyes closed.

"I keep thinking it's going to be a horror movie thing, and Elijah's going to pop up and kill us," she said without looking at me. "Well, kill you."

"Why just me?" I asked.

"Because he doesn't like you," she laughed. Miranda turned in the passenger's seat so she was looking at me. "Killing him puts you even lower on the list, and since you did it three times…I wouldn't pull out that dagger under any circumstances."

"Wasn't planning on it." I replied. "How long have you known Elijah?"

"All my life," she replied with a shrug.

"Haha," I said, rolling my eyes. "Tell me the truth."

"I am," she insisted. "I can't remember a time when I didn't know him; that's either because I was too young to remember, or because it was a really long time ago." I took me a while to put two and two together.

"Does that mean that Elijah—" I began, but Miranda cut me off.

"Yep," she nodded.

"Why couldn't you just say that from the beginning?" I asked.

"I don't know. Maybe because I haven't seen or talked to him in almost 500 years, or maybe because of all the ways I blame him for ruining my life. I would've told you…eventually."

"Do you care about him?"

"Sure," she replied, not sounding too convincing. "But now the bad just outweighs the good, I guess."

"Huh…does that mean you know Klaus?" I asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Knew." Miranda corrected me. "I _knew_ Klaus, but that was too many lifetimes ago to think about and still feel good inside. If this curse stuff never happened, I would've never seen or thought about either of them for the rest of my life."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"Look what I found?" Damon asked as he walked into the library, where I was drinking a glass of blood. I looked over at him and was surprised to see him holding my phone. "I thought you might need it. You were pretty pissed off last time you thought you lost it."

"Thank you," I said, taking it from him. I set the now-empty glass on the end table and stood up. "I'm going to go home now," I told him. "I have stuff to do…and then I need a super-nap."

"I'll drive you," Damon said, blocking my way as I tried to leave.

"I have legs. I can walk," I replied.

"No really, you're a mess. You can barely stand without falling asleep."

"Way to make a girl feel special," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Let me just get my jacket and then we can go."

"Fine," I sighed. He grabbed my hand, smiling like a kid who got to have candy for breakfast, and tugged me along with him.

"Did you know that Elijah had the—hold on," he said, stopping as soon as we walked into his bedroom; the shower could be easily heard from out place by the door. "I thought I told Andie to go home. Andie?" He walked into the bathroom and I followed him, stopping dead in my tracks when I saw _her. _I looked at Damon and saw that he was just as shocked as I was.

"Hello guys," Katherine said with a smirk as she stepped out of the shower. "Say, Damon, do you happen to have a robe?"

"What is she doing her?" I asked, looking at Damon. "I thought she was stuck in the tomb."

"How did you get out?" Damon asked, both shock and anger evident in his voice.

"You see, I knew that if I begged Damon not to kill Elijah, that's exactly what he'd do," she laughed. "Originals can compel vampires, but as soon as they die, the compulsion wears off."

"Did you know that?" Damon asked, looking at me.

"He never told me anything," I muttered.

"Because Elijah was always trying to "protect" you. It's a good way to fool someone out of knowing that you're keeping secrets from them." Katherine shrugged. "I think I should remember that for next time."

"You couldn't have, I don't know, waited until tomorrow for brunch to visit instead of," I gestured to her complete lack of clothing. "This?"

"I thought it would be a little more fun," she replied, wringing her wet hair out on the floor a little bit before tossing over her shoulder. "And, I promised Damon that if I got out of the tomb, I would help you guys keep Elena safe."

"Uh, for starters," Damon began. "I didn't plan on you getting out of the tomb."

"But I did," she chimed.

"And I honestly doubt you want to help Elena," I continued for him. "You're a self-centered bitch."

"Change of heart, I guess." She shrugged, placed a hand on her hip. "So…how about that robe?"

**A/N: I wasn't really happy the ending, and I could've written more, but it just wasn't happening in my brain. I'd also like to apologize—for the millionth time—for the tardiness of this chapter. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Reviews are always appreciated. Until next time. (Which will be sooner than this time, I promise.)**

**PS: **_**When Days Were Long and Pleasant**_**, the prequel to **_**I Wish It Was You,**_** will be updated sometime this week. Just a heads up.**


	44. Something I Lost

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Damon's POV**

I walked up the steps to the porch, and tried the doorknob, happy when I found that it was locked. I walked over to the porch swing and felt underneath for the spare key; I didn't need it, but I knew Miranda would be mad if I broke the door again.

I walked inside and saw that the mess that had been overwhelming the entire house for the past week was now gone. I carefully made my way up the stairs and into Miranda's bedroom, where she was sound asleep. I smirked and rushed across the room and sat down on the bed, careful not to wake her up…yet.

"Miranda," I whispered. "Time to get up, sleepy head." When she didn't move, I carefully reached up and ran my finger over her nose. In her sleep, she lazily tried to swat me away. Once she settled back to sleep, I smirked and repeated the action.

As soon as my finger came in contact with her skin, Miranda grabbed my wrist and flipped me over so I was lying on my back and she was straddling me.

"How many times have I told you," she said with a yawn, her eyes heavy-lidded from just waking up. "It isn't polite to stare."

"I wasn't staring," I replied defensively. She twisted my wrist and I groaned in pain. "Alright, I give."

"Thank you," she let me go, rolled off of my and snuggled comfortably into the pillow next to me. "Go away."

"No," I said, turning onto my side so I was facing her. She yawned and opened her eyes again.

"What time is it?"

"Five-thirty," I shrugged.

"I hate you," she groaned. "I hate you so much."

"So I'm not forgiven yet?" I asked. Miranda grabbed her pillow and hit me with it. "Point taken."

"Alright," she yawned. "Now that I'm up, what do you want?"

"Help," I replied, watching as she got up and walked over to the closet.

"With what?"

"I thought we could do some digging and find the place where the witches were massacred."

"The one Elijah was looking for?"

"Yep. It seems that Stefan brought along the rest of Jonathan Gilbert's crazy journals from the Gilbert Lake House." I shrugged. "Maybe we could look through them for some clues."

"Ok."

"Ok?"

"I'll help you," she said, walking back into the bedroom, dressed in a black and grey striped short-sleeve shirt, a light blue skirt, and black flats. She left her hair loosely curled and down, except for her bangs, which were pinned back with a sparkly blue bow clip.

"You look different," I told her, getting up and walking over to her. I lightly ran my fingers over the ends of her hair.

"I know, that's why I keep my hair long," she said, looking away bashfully.

"No," I stopped her. "I like it. You look more…carefree."

"Are you saying I looked uptight before?" she asked. I laughed and shook my head, happy that this wasn't a dream.

"Coffee?" she asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Huh?"

"I'm going to go make some coffee. Do you want any?"

"Yeah, that'd be great." I nodded. "Then we can go and get started on those journals."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"Jonathan Gilbert was seriously messed up," I said as I flipped through one of the earlier journals. "This was even before he found out about vampires."

"At least the crazy doesn't run in the family," Damon replied.

"John," I reminded him.

"His parents named him aptly then."

"Morning guys," Elena's voice rang through the front hall and we both looked up to see her buttoning up her jacket. She smiled and then turned to walk out the front door, but I caught something strange about her scent. I looked over at Damon, who nodded and frowned.

In a flash he was across the room, pinning "Elena" to the wall.

"What are you doing her?" he growled.

"What is your problem?" she asked.

"Wearing her clothes isn't going to fool us Katherine," I said, walking up behind them.

"You think I'm Katherine?" she choked out, sounding genuinely surprised. "Why would you think that? Katherine's in the tomb...isn't she?"

"What the hell's going on here?" Stefan asked, joining us as Damon let her go.

"I don't know, you tell me. Is Katherine in the tomb or not?" Stefan's gaze flickered between the three of us, and then he disappeared. "Why won't you guys tell me anything?" Damon sighed and ran his hand through his hair before walking back into the living room; I was about to follow him when I glanced at "Elena" and saw a satisfied smirk on her face. Before I could grab Katherine, she was gone.

"What the hell?" Damon exclaimed. "That bitch." I could hear someone cry out upstairs and I became worried; Stefan was up there with Elena, who he thought was Katherine because the real Katherine was playing a dirty trick.

I quickly ran upstairs and found Katherine leaning against the doorway to Stefan's room, smirking at Elena, who was glaring at her.

"Is everything alright?" I asked.

"Just peachy," Katherine replied.

"I don't think she was asking you," Damon snapped at her from behind me.

"What is she doing here?" Elena asked angrily.

"When we killed Elijah, it broke the compulsion and freed the bitch from the tomb," Damon explained.

"How's that possible?" Stefan asked.

"He's an Original," Katherine replied. "They have all sorts of special tricks."

"I don't want you here," Elena snapped at her. "Get her out of here!"

"You need me, Elena," Katherine looked around at all of us. "You all do."

"Like hell," Stefan muttered.

"We all want the same thing," Katherine began. "Klaus dead. Yey here you all are, running around like chickens with their heads cut off."

"You've only been here for a few hours at most," I said. "How the hell do you know anything?"

"I've seen enough to know that you need my help."

"I don't need it and I don't want it," Elena exclaimed.

"And that's incredibly stupid of you," Katherine snapped. "Do you know where Klaus is? When he's coming? Or even what he looks like?"

"We have Miranda," Damon replied. "She know's just as much as you do, I'm sure." Katherine's head snapped in my direction and she glared at me. I knew that glare all too well; it was accusatory, filled with hate, and one she reserved for me alone.

"Fine," she huffed. "Then I'll just go to the grill and have some lunch. Maybe Aunt Jenna's free for a bite." She turned and made her way toward the bedroom door before stopping and facing us again. "Or maybe I should stay here and enjoy the show while I still can."

"I hate her," Elena said once she was gone. "Words can't even describe it."

"I know how you feel," I sighed. "I need a stiff drink."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

Sometime later, I stood in the celler with the flame-thrower Alaric had found for me. I honestly didn't know how he found all this stuff; I was beginning to think that it was an obsession more than a hobby. The longer I waited for Elijah's body to burn up, the more disappoined I became.

"Ooh, burning flesh," Katherine exclaimed as I turned off the flame-thrower. "I don't think Miranda's going to be too happy that you're trying to destroy her best friend and sire."

"_Ex_-best friend," I corrected her. "And I think she's ecstatic. She hates him."

"Whatever," she shrugged and looked over Elijah's body, her gaze landing on the dagger. "If you're trying to get the dagger back, you're wasting your time. He's indestructable."

"No kidding," I rolled my eyes and turned to face her. "How do you know so much about Original vampires?"

"Spend 500 years running from one," Katherine replied.

"So when I told you my plan to kill Elijah, why didn't you warn me that I'd die if I used the dagger on him?" I asked.

"Oh, there's so many rules," she sighed, walking into the room. "It's all very confusing."

"Did you know I would die?" I asked.

"Did Elijah tell you his plan?" Katherine asked, changing the subject. "Did he have a dagger to kill Klaus with?"

"Why are you still here?" I snapped.

"Because you haven't...forcibly removed me," she replied seductively. I backed up and pointed the flame-thrower at her. "You wouldn't."

"Oh I would," I replied. "And I'm sure would be doing everyone a favor." Katherine suddenly looked scared.

"Damon, be smart," she said, backing up slightly. "I want Klaus dead just as much as you do. More. If I wasn't being honest about helping, I'd be long gone by now, ok? You can hate me, but we want the same thing. And you know...I always get what I want." I sighed and lowered the flame-thrower; she pushed past me and was about to leave when she looked back.

"It didn't matter who paid the price," she said. "Of course I knew that you'd die." And with that, she was gone.

I threw the handle to the ground and ran a hand over my face. I didn't understand why the universe let her into my life all those years ago; why fate destroyed the perfect life I could've had with Miranda, only to let me crumble again because of Katherine.

"You ok?" Miranda asked, breaking me from my thoughts. I removed my hands from my face and looked over to see her standing where Katherine had before, holding two glasses of whiskey in her hands.

"Yeah," I breathed out.

"I thought you could use this," she said, holding one of the glasses out to me. I took it from her, smiling gratefully.

"Thanks," I sighed, downing the entire contents of the glass as fast as naturally possible.

"Any luck?" she asked, motioning to Elijah.

"Nope," I shrugged. "Apparently it's impossible."

"Then the only thing we can do is just keep looking through the journals and try to find anything," she muttered and rubbed my arm gently. "Let's get cracking."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"A little light reading?" Katherine asked as she walked into the kitchen. I was perched on the counter, reading and analyzing every page of the journal in my hands as I waited for the coffee to finish brewing. "I wish you and Damon would let me help with your little research project; I feel useless."

"You _are_ useless," I looked over at her. "You stopped being useful in 1492 when you killed yourself."

"No need to be mean, Miranda," she replied. "I thought you were against the whole sacrifice ritual thing."

"I am. Elena doesn't deserve to die because Klaus wants vampires to walk in the sun."

"And I did?" Katherine asked. "My family did?"

"I don't know how many times I've had this conversation with you." I said, jumping off the counter. "I'm not going to waste my time trying to have it again." I opened one of the cabinets and pulled out a mug for my coffee. My world blurred and I felt my head smash into a wall, Katherine's hand tightening around my throart.

"You did it," she hissed. "I know you did." I pushed her away from me, sending her crashing onto the floor.

"If you _ever_ lay a hand on me again, you're dead." I walked back across the kitchen and poured my coffee so I could get as far away from Katherine as possible.

"Why haven't you killed me yet, then?" she asked. I sighed and looked over my shoulder at her. As much as she was a manipulative, lying, self-centered bitch, she still had feelings...even if they were so small that they could only be seen through a microscope.

"Because I used to consider you my friend Katerina," I said, her real name coming from my mouth for the first time in 500 years. "If and when I kill you, you'll be the only one to blame." I walked out of the kitchen and down the hall, finding Stefan and Damon sorting through the box of journals in the living room; they looked up at me as soon as I walked in.

"What?" I asked.

"Heard your little...scuffle in the kitchen," Damon replied.

"And?"

"Stefan wanted to come and check on you, but I told him you could handle yourself."

"You said only to go if there was screaming," Stefan protested.

"Same thing."

"Don't worry," I sighed, sitting on the couch. "I handled it."

"I'm not going to have to get rid of another body, am I?" Stefan asked.

"No," I replied. "But thanks for the confidence."

"Any time," he teased.

"Hey guys," Damon interrupted us. "Focus please."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"What were you and Katherine talking about?" I asked.

"None of your biz," Miranda replied.

"I thought we weren't going to keep secrets from each other anymore."

"I think that went down the drain when you slept with the news girl," she said, looking over at me.

"I haven't seen her since I told her to go," I reasoned.

"It's only been a day, Damon," she reminded me.

"I don't need Andie," I said, scooting closer to Miranda on the couch. "I have you." She sighed and put her book down on the coffee table.

"Well, that's where you're wrong," she replied. "You don't have me. You used to, but you screwed up and now...you don't."

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"I know," she nodded. "But...it's going to take some time."

"I'll be waiting," I smirked. "You know where to find me. Just call ahead of time so I can get rid of my girlfriend." Miranda smiled slightly and hit my chest.

"You're horrible," she laughed.

"I'm in love," I shrugged.

"Oh really?" Miranda played along.

"Mmhmm," I nodded. "But I don't know if she loves me back."

"Why don't you ask her?"

"Because she's mad at me," I said, leaning closer.

"Just because I don't like you," she whispered, running a finger down my nose like I did this morning, letting it rest on my lips. "Doesn't mean I don't love you." I smirked against her finger and grabbed her wrist, but Miranda was too fast for me; her other hand gently wrapped around my neck and in a second I was on my back with Miranda hovering over me. She smiled and shook her head before getting up and leaving. "Sorry, but no dice," she called out.

"Tease," I replied. I sighed and picked up my book from the floor and continued to read, hoping that we'd find something soon. I was getting tired of reading the deepest thoughts and events in the life of Jonathan Gilbert. After a few minutes, I felt someone lean over the arms of the couch and rest their head on my shoulder; I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"I'm bored," Katherine sighed.

"Sorry, don't care," I replied.

"_Emily Bennett was taken by the Council today,_" Katherine began reading out loud. "_They kidnapped her from her home and took her to the same location her ancestors were burned a hundred years ago._ So Emily died on the site of the massacre too. Does it say where?"She tried reaching for the journal but I pulled it out of her reach.

"Nope," I replied. "Do you know this whole friendly, cooperative thing?"

"Yeah."

"I don't buy it."

"I have no reason to lie to you, Damon," she said with false sincerity.

"Lie."

"I'm hungry," Katherine grumbled, standing up.

"Well, you're the unwanted houseguest." I said, looking back at the old pages of the book. "Go feed yourself." I turned the page a few minutes after she left to get blood and smirked when Jonathan Gilbert began to mention the surroundings of the witch burial sight. The house, the forest, and everything. Stefan walked into the room and tossed the journal he had onto the table.

"Well, nothing in any of those. Find anything?" he asked. I had to be smart about this; we didn't want Katherine finding out where it was. I looked up at Stefan and nodded.

"Nope," I told him. He frowned for a second in confusion, but then a look of realization crossed his face. I handed him the journal I was reading from and pointed to the passage.

"Well, that's too bad."

"Yeah," I agreed. "Bummer." Stefan closed the journal, and left with it so Katherine couldn't find it. Everything was working out for us; soon we could figure out a way to kill Klaus and all would be back to normal.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"GUYS!" Katherine's scream caused me drop my mug as I made my way down the hall. "HELP!" I quickly ran toward the basement, crashing into Damon as he crossed my path.

"What the hell was that?" he asked as we kept running.

"I don't know," I shrugged. We made it to the room where Elijah's body was to find Katherine slumped against the pile of dirt, a broken chair leg stuck in her stomach. I walked over and pulled it out, and she cried out in pain.

"What happened?" Damon asked. Katherine coughed a few times as she slowly healed, but her eyes widened in shock.

"No," she groaned. I turned around and saw the dagger slowly being pulling itself out of Elijah's body.

"Damon, do something," I told him. He walked over to the flame-thrower he had been using earlier and started it, trying to get rid of whatever supernatural entity that was trying to wake Elijah up.

"What are you doing?" Stefan exclaimed, finally joining us.

"It was some kind of crazy ass psychic witch attack," Damon explained. "Get over there and do something about it. Now!" Stefan nodded and rushed out of the basement to go see what the Martins were up to. I looked back at Katherine and helped her stand up.

"You ok?" I asked.

"I need blood," she replied, slightly out of breath. "But I'll be fine."

"Come on," I said, helping her upstairs and into the living room. She sat down on the sofa and relaxed into the cushions; I went back downstairs and got a blood bag from the freezer. Damon walked over and sighed.

"It's done," he said. "Whatever those witches were up to, it's over."

"That's good," I nodded and started to walk upstairs.

"Should've just let her suffer until she was strong enough to get the blood herself. I thought you hated Katherine."

"I do," I shrugged.

We walked into the living room and I handed Katherine the blood bag before moving to sit in the chair across the room to keep reading. I heard Katherine scream out in pain and I turned around to see Damon drive a stake through her stomach again.

"Damon!"

"What the hell?" Katherine exclaimed.

"That's for not telling me the dagger would kill me," he hissed at her. "Next time...it goes in your heart."

"Is that how you treat someone who's trying to help you?" she asked.

"You're not really doing much to help," I told her, sitting down. "You're more of a hindrance, actually."

"Haha. You're so funny," she deadpanned, then looked up at Damon. "You want to know the truth? John Gilbert and Isobel want you, Stefan and Miranda out of Elena's life."

"That's old news," Damon scoffed.

"Not the part where he offered me a deal." Katherine continued. "He knew that killing Elijah would get me out of the tomb, so he gave me a choice. Either I stay and help with Klaus, or he kills Stefan."

"But he still tried to have me killed."

"Right. That was part of the deal. I could only choose you or Stefan to save."

"So you chose Stefan," Damon frowned. "Of course you did. And what about Miranda?"

"John figured that if you were dead, Miranda wouldn't hesitate in killing herself," Katherine replied, and Damon looked over at me for a second before returning his gaze to Katherine. She bent down and picked up the blood bag from the floor and left. Damon sighed and sat down on the couch, stretching his legs out onto the coffee table.

"Could you toss me that journal?" I asked, pointing to the one on the coffee table.

"Sure," Damon replied, but he made no move to do it. I frowned and raised an eyebrow in question. "We found the massacre sight," he mouthed silently. I nodded in understanding, and just closed my eyes, finally able to relax after a day of endless searching.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

My phone started ringing and I picked it up and looked at it.

"What is it?" Miranda asked.

"Text from Stefan." I quickly read it. "We've gotta go."

"Why?"

"Papa witch is going after Elena," I got up and motioned for her to follow me. "Come on." I grabbed my leather jacket off the hook and put it on, grabbing Miranda's hand as I opened the door.

"Where are you two going?" Katherine asked, causing me to stop.

"To stop Jonas from hurting Elena," Miranda explained.

"I'm coming with you," Katherine said, dropping her empty blood bag on the floor and walking up to us.

"No you're not." I shook my head. "Come on, Miranda."

"Wait!"

"We don't need you're help!" I snapped at Katherine.

"I know what we can do to help Elena," she insisted. "You have to let me do it."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

Once we heard Stefan yell that Jonas was dead, Damon, Elena and I walked out of our hiding place in the laundry room downstairs. "I don't know how you guys convinced her to do this," Elena said as I led her to the living room. She was still in shock from having to quickly switch clothes with Katherine, get out of the grill and hide in her own house.

"We didn't," Damon replied. "It was actually her idea."

"Wow," Elena muttered. "That's...not good."

"No," I shook my head. "Not at all."

"Everything's taken care of," Stefan said as he and Katherine walked down the stairs.

"I'm guessing you'll want this back," Katherine said, pulling Elena's vervain necklace from her own neck. "But your pretty little outfit is going to need a good dry clean." Elena walked over and snatched the necklace from Katherine's hand.

"You're going to have to get her out of here before Jenna gets home," Elena told us.

"Is that all you have to say to me?" Katherine asked angrily.

"This doesn't change the way I feel about you," Elena replied.

"I don't much like you, either, if we're going to be open. And frankly, I'd be happy to see you dead, but if we're going to try to take on Klaus, we kinda need you to be alive." Katherine sighed. "So I'm not a threat to you, Elena. If any of you are going to believe anything, believe that." I trusted that Katherine wanted Klaus dead and that she was going to help us...but I knew that if she found she had another, better option, she would take it without hesitation.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I sat on my bed, reading the Gilbert journal that included the detailed description of Emily's death. Katherine walked into my room and jumped onto my bed; her hair was curly again and she was wearing practically nothing. She looked more like Katherine now, and less like Elena.

"Thank you for making yourself at home," I said sarcastically.

"Thank you for being such a great host," she shot back.

"You know what I can't figure out," I asked. "How the town knew Emily Bennett was a witch. I mean, according to Jonathan Gilbert, he was the only one who knew. I know_ he_ didn't turn her in." Katherine stayed silent and I looked over at her. "Hmm, I should have figured as much."

"She was a loose end. I like mine tied up. You know what _I_ can't figure out?"

"Do I care?" I asked.

"Why you won't tell me where to find the site of the witch massacre," she told me anyways.

"Because I have no clue," I replied.

"You knew that Emily Bennett was the key to getting me out of that tomb, and something tells me that you did everything in your power to make sure that she was safe, yet you have no idea where she was killed. Who's the liar now?" she asked sitting up. "You hurt me today."

"Tit for tat."

"You were mean and very rough and...monstrous," she crawled over to me. I looked at her, rolling my eyes at her internally.

"You deserved it," I told her.

"I like this Damon," she whispered, getting so close that our lips were almost touching.

"Katherine," I sighed, bringing my hands to rest on her face. "There are six other bedrooms in this house."

"Mmhmm," she nodded seductively.

"Go find one," I told her, pushing her aside. I picked up the Gilbert journal and continued reading it as Katherine left in a huff. I was happy that I was strong enough to push her away. There was only one person I wanted, and she wasn't Katherine.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

My phone rang as I pulled into my driveway; I turned my car off and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Miranda. It's Jenna," Jenna said on the other end.

"Hey, how are you?" I asked.

"Kinda drunk," she laughed. "Are you busy?"

"I just got home from late night grocery shopping," I said, getting out of my car and going around to the trunk. I placed the phone between my ear and my shoulder so I could carry the stuff inside. "That's the problem about going out of town for a week. No food when you get back."

"So true," Jenna agreed. "I was wondering if you needed a little ice cream therapy; I was worried that you felt a little...bad about having to face Damon yesterday."

"Well—" I began, struggling to close open hatchback.

"I have cookie dough," I could hear her rummaging through her freezer. "And rocky road...and, oh yes! Sex-on-a-spoon: chunky monkey. What do you say?"

"As tempting as everything sounds, I'm going to have to pass for tonight," I laughed, getting the front door open.

"How about a rain check for Saturday?" she asked. " I have some stuff to get done this week, but then we can have a girl's day."

"Alright, Jenna," I said. "See you then."

"I can't wait. Bye!" She hung up as I set the big box full of groceries on the dining room table. I put my phone back into my purse and set it on the table as well. I ran a hand through my hair, forgetting the little bow clip that was holding back my bangs, and I cursed as my fingers got tangled in mmy hair.

"Son of a—"

"You ok there?" a voice said from behind me. I quickly turned around in alarm and started to punch whoever was there, only to have them stop my fist. I rolled my eyes at Damon.

"Don't you know not to sneak up on me?" I asked. "Especially since I was just abducted from my home a week and a half ago."

"Sorry," he said, smiling bashfully. "Let me help you." He reached up and unclipped the sparkly blue bow from my hair, letting my bangs fall loosely over my forehead; he gently raked his fingers through my hair so it was out of my face.

"Thanks." I said. I turned and picked up the box of groceries and went to the kitchen to save them; Damon made himself comfortable as he leaned against the kitchen counter and watched me. "That's a little bit creepy you know," I told him as I started putting things away. "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to talk to you," he replied.

"About?"

"Nothing," he shrugged. "I thought we could just talk. About everything...about anything; just like we used to after we first met. Some of my best memories are when we used to talk."

"Really?" I asked turning around and finding him right there in front of me.

"Yeah," he breathed out. "I want that back. Maybe, once this Klaus stuff is over, we can start over and be able to...be Miranda and Damon again. Together. How does that sound?" I took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes.

"There's nothing I'd rather do than to start over again with you."

**A/N: Another **_**late**_** chapter. I know. My computer has been having issues that arose due to the heat. I should have everything fixed before school starts later this month. The ending is a little...fluffy, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I hope to post the next one by the weekend, to make up for my computer's insubordination. (The chapter for **_**When Days Were Long and Pleasant **_**that I had promised is also going to be posted tomorrow night, so if you're reading it, don't throw coke bottles at me.) I want to apologize for any spelling or punctuation errors; I've ran over this chapter with a fine-tooth comb, but I don't have spell-check and some simple keyboard mistakes probably got through. Reviews are always appreciated. Until next time...**


	45. In Constant Motion

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

The next morning, my phone woke me up with it's obnoxious ringing; although Damon left early last night after talking for an hour, I hadn't gone to bed as early as I had hoped to, so I answered my phone a bit angrily.

"You woke me up," I answered without checking the caller ID. "What the hell do you want?" Ok, maybe more than a bit.

"Is that any way to talk to your closest friend," a ticked-off Emmaline asked on the other end.

"Oh shit," I muttered, fully awake now. If I had to describe Em in one word, it would be scary; sure, she was loving, sweet and trusting, but I'm sure that if she got angry enough, she could kick the crap out of anyone...human or supernatural. "Hi, Emmaline. How are you?"

"Don't "hi, Emmaline" me. I haven't heard from you in weeks; what's the matter with you? Do you know how worried I've been?"

"Well _mom_," I huffed. "I didn't know I had to check in all the time. I was a bit...busy."

"Too busy to call?"

"Yes. Put Will on the line; I refuse to talk to you when you treat me like I'm a little kid."

"You act like one," she mumbled quietly, but I heard her.

"_I'm 746 years old!_" I exclaimed as I made my way downstairs. "I'm entitled to behave however I want."

"Not when you don't call for your best friends' wedding anniversary," she chastised.

"I sent you a card." I told her. "Didn't you get it?"

"Yes, it was lovely," she deadpanned. "But you know I enjoy talking to you. Remember when the three of us went out for breakfast once a week—"

"I felt like such a third-wheel, Em."

"—how come we don't do that anymore?"

"Because I live in Virginia," I said, opening the door so I could get the mail. "How many times do I—" I stopped abruptly as my fingers brushed against something soft and silky inside the mailbox. I hesitated for a few seconds before pulling it out, stopping myself before I could gasp in shock.

"Mimi, are you still there?" I stared at the familiar fabric in my hand, unable to speak. "Miranda! Are you ok?"

"Em, I'm going to have to call you back later," I said, closing the phone. I quickly looked down the street; whoever left the it in the mailbox was gone...not that I expected otherwise. I went back inside and closed the door, leaning against it and slowly lowered myself so I was sitting. I put my phone on the floor and traced the perfect stitching on the worn, ripped fabric.

_I stared at the dress carefully laid out on my bed, my eyes roaming over it and taking in every detail. The navy blue silk, the dainty ivory damask embroidered on the stomacher, the blue ribbons criss-crossing and tying on the sleeves and waist. It was very intricate in detail, but siple and elegant from afar._

_ "It will match your cameo necklace perfectly," he said. "Don't you agree."_

_ "Of course," I nodded and turned around with a smile. "It's beautiful."_

_ "A beautiful dress for a beautiful young woman," he replied. "Everyone at the party will be staring at you." I quickly rushed across the room and hugged him tightly, obviously catching him off-guard._

_ "Thank you, Klaus," I said with glee. He chuckled and his arms tightened around me briefly before I pulled away. "But tomorrow is _your_ birthday. I have already gotten you a gift, it should not be the other way around." I saw something behind Klaus' eyes for a split second, too quick to tell what it was._

_ "Your company, Miranda," he said, tapping a finger on my nose, causing it to twitch lightly. "Your friendship is gift enough."_

I shivered at the memory; if I had a nickel for each time I wished for the past to be different...I could probably buy a time machine and make it so. How long had I believed that Klaus and Elijah were my friends...almost family, only to find that they were both liars and manipulators? I quickly glanced down at the torn piece of my dress and bit my lip nervously; who could have left it for me to find...and how did they get it?

My phone rang once again, catching me off guard, and I picked it up off the floor.

"Yeah," I answered, my voice giving out a bit at the end.

"We have a problem," Damon said seriously.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"I just talked to Jenna last night," Miranda said after Stefan and I filled her in on what had happened at Elena's house. "She seemed fine; obviously Isobel hadn't gotten there yet." She looked down at her hands as the three of us walked towards the stairs. "Did you see anything when you left?"

"Nope," I shook my head. "Nothing. What I want to know, though, is what's she doing here?"

"I don't know," Stefan shook his head. "I didn't think we would see her again, and here she is, now of all times." We made our way downstairs, only to be stopped by Katherine.

"I don't think you should tell Isobel that I'm here," she said as soon as we stopped.

"What? Why?" Stefan asked.

"It's better if she and John not know that I stayed in town after I got out of the tomb."

"Excuse me, but you're the one who's buddy-buddy with them," Miranda stated.

"That's right, you made a deal with John that almost got me killed," I said. "Wouldn't they be the first ones to know you're still here?"

"I did what I had to do to get out of the tomb," Katherine snapped. "Now...I'm reconsidering my alliance." She turned around and started to leave, but Stefan stopped her.

"What do you know?"

"I know that I want Klaus dead," she said, turning to face us with a smirk. "Which puts me squarely on team you, no matter how much I don't want to be. Besides, if you ever need me to swap places with Elena, the less people know that I'm here, the better. Think about it." Stefan looked at me, then Katherine, then Miranda, and finally back to me before sighing.

"Fine...I'll tell you what, I'm going to go to Elena's. You can call Alaric and tell him that his wife just showed up at his girlfriend's doorstep." He casually brushed past Katherine and left. I looked at Katherine for a second before grabbing Miranda's hand and tugging her away so we could talk without Little Miss Nosey overhearing.

"How would you like to go on a little adventure with me today?" I asked, grabbing my jacket off a chair in the living room.

"Adventure...as in—"

"As in you'll know when we get there," I replied. We left the house and I walked over to my car, sliding into the driver's seat. "Come on," I said to Miranda, who was still standing on the edge of the driveway with a curious look on her face. "We don't have all day. They're waiting."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

We picked up Bonnie and Jeremy immediately so we could go to the large apartment the Martins' and Elijah were living at...the apartment they kept me in. I was cautious when I saw the building, but I shook it off immediately. We got to the door and Damon twisted the handle, breaking it when it wouldn't open on it's own. He pushed the door open and walked inside.

"Yep, everybody's," he nodded. He spotted Luka's burnt up corpse in the middle of the living room and pointed to it. "Especially him." Immediately I backhanded his chest. "Hey! What was that for?" I rolled my eyes and walked further inside.

"We should pack up all the grimoires," Bonnie said, motioning to all the books laying around. "They spent years collecting them. I wanna make sure they're safe."

"You know," Damon said, ignoring everything Bonnie just said. "We could just get another match and cremate him."

"Don't be disrespectful," Bonnie replied angrily. "Not to him."

"Fine. Wanna help me bury him, Miranda?"

"I'd rather not," I shook my head.

"Jeremy?"

"No thank you."

"So much for teamwork, guys," Damon deadpanned. I rolled my eyes and picked up a blanket off the floor and spread it out. "I thought you didn't want to help me bury him."

"Just put him on the blanket," I said.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Jeremy asked.

"According to Luka's dad, one of these contais a spell that'll let me harness the energy that's left behind when a witch dies violently," Bonnie replied.

"I didn't know you and father witch were so close," Damon said.

"We weren't," she shook her head. "But when he gave me my powers back, he gave me a message. If I can find the spot in town where the old Salem witches were burned, I can harness their energy to use when I need it."

"Isn't that dangerous?" I asked, picking up an old grimoire that looked like it was on the verge of crumbling.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I'm hoping that it's just like recharging a battery. I have so much power now...and after I'll be at 100%."

"Great," Damon exclaimed. "We'll have to put that on our list of thing to do today: harness ancient dead-witch power." Bonnie paused as she looked at a bookshelf and turned around.

"You know where the witches were burned?" she asked.

"Oh, did I forget to mention that?" Damon smirked.

"Are we gonna have to read through every one of these books til we find the right spell?" Jeremy asked as he leafed through the pages of the grimoire in his hands.

"Not exactly," Bonnie said. She turned to face the bookshelf again and closed her eyes, raising her hands so her palms face the books. All of a sudden, all the books fell off the shelves onto the floor in a loud _bang_; only one of them was open. She grabbed it and looked down the page. "It's this one."

"Great. Grab the rest and then we can go," Damon said, happy to finally leave.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

Miranda and I agreed to meet Jeremy and Bonnie in the afternoon to show them where the witch-burning site was; they wanted to bring all the grimoires back to Bonnie's house. When we got to the boarding house, Elena and Stefan were waiting for us in the library.

"We need to talk," Stefan said.

"When don't we need to talk?" I asked, sitting down in a leather armchair. Miranda was about to sit on the couch next to Elena, when I grabbed her hand and pulled her down so she was sitting in my lap, my arms around her waist. She looked at me with a questioning gaze and I shrugged in response; even though she was just going to sit a few feet away from me, the familiar posessiveness I got when she was near returned. Miranda was back, and she was mine; no one was ever going to take her away again.

Elena and Stefan told us about the conversation they had with John and Isobel about keeping Elena safe.

"Do you guys really think that Isobel's telling the truth? That word's gotten out about the doppelganger?"

"Look, I don't trust a word she says, but I think we'd be stupid to ignore the warning," Stefan replied.

"You know, you should just stay here," I suggested. "It's better for us to keep an eye on you."

"But any vampire can come in," Miranda objected. "No invitation necessary. If she stays here and Klaus knows the doppelganger is in Mystic Falls, he can get to her whenever he wants."

"Elena's house is safer," Stefan suggested.

"Well, then we'll stay there."

"So is that the plan?" Elena asked incredulously. "You three won't let me out of your sight again?"

"Let us know when you come up with a better one," I replied with a smirk.

"Fine. One of you bodyguards is gonna have to come with me to the Lockwood Luncheon," Elena shrugged.

"That'd be me," Stefan stepped up to the plate immediately.

"Miranda and I have witch stuff to attend to with Bonnie," I replied. "So have fun at your little lunch party."

"Wait," Elena stopped. "Doesn that mean you're taking her to the—" I shushed her immediately as Katherine walked into the room.

"Don't get quiet on my account," she said with a smirk. "If you have a plan to combat the impending vampire doom, please do tell." When we stayed silent, she continued. "Seriously, what is the plan to get us out of this mess, hmm? I delivered you a moonstone, a werewolf, and the dagger to lure and kill Klaus, and right now all you have is the moonstone...or so you tell me."

"We have it," I told her. "It's in a very safe place." I smirked, happy that I thought of a foolproof hiding place for it.

"I've been honest with you," Katherine shrugged.

"Puh-lease," Miranda muttered.

"Time to return the favor."

"Let me be honest with _you_." I snarled at her. "Don't mistake the fact that we haven't set you on fire in your sleep for trust."

"Fine," Katherine huffed. "Be that way." She left immediately.

"Any objections Moral Patrol?" I asked, nudging Miranda's arm.

"Hey, I only stopped myself from killing her because I thought we needed her. If that has changed, I'm going to go find a stake." She looked at me with a smirk.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

The four of us made our way down the leaf-covered hill toward the old, scary-looking house. I knew the area well, especially since I lived close by in 1864, but I never wandered onto this part of the land. Perhaps it was the cold, foreboding sense I got as we approached it; Damon's grip on my hand tightened as we got closer, and I knew he must've felt it too.

"Is this the spot Emily Bennett was killed too?" Jeremy asked.

"Founders thought it was poetic," Damon replied. "Burning her where the other witches burned."

"And how do you know this?" I asked.

"Aside from the fact that we found it in Jonathan Gilbert's journal?"

"Yes, please enlighten us," Bonnie said.

"I tried to save her," he replied nonchalantly. "Emily was my key to getting Katherine back...before I knew what a nasty little bitch Katherine was."

"Are you sure it's the right place?" Jeremy asked as we stopped. Damon just nodded and we continued on our way.

When we got to the door, Damon opened it up and we followed him inside. I let go of his hand and looked at the state the house was in. Everything was covered in layers of dust and dirt; a few stairs were broken and looked ominous, as if daring someone to try to go up them. We continued down the hall, watching our steps for old, decaying floorboards.

Damon led us into the next room and walked over to one of the boarded up windows; he turned around and was about to rejoin Jeremy, Bonnie and me, but it looked like he hit an invisible wall as he stood in the sunlight.

"What's wrong?" I asked, noticing him struggling to move.

"Whatever witchy prand you're playing, don't," he warned Bonnie. "It's not funny."

"I'm not doing anything," Bonnie replied.

"I can't move!" he exclaimed. Slowly, I started to hear a sizzling sound and smelt burning flesh.

"Ow, my ring's not working," Damon groaned in pain as the sun burned his face. "Do something." I stepped forward and reached out to grab him, but as soon as I touched him, it felt like my hand had been burned by a red hot poker.

"Ah!" I jumped back. "What the hell?" Damon coughed a few times and raised his hand to shield his face from the sun. "Bonnie, do something." She immediately closed her eyes and frowned in concentration. After a few more seconds, Damon was released from whatever bind he was in and he walked into the shadows, scowling as he healed.

"I don't think the witches like you being here," Bonnie said, looking at Damon and I.

"I guess this is the right place, then," Jeremy said, taking another look around.

"Fine," Damon huffed, straightening out his jacket. "We're going to wait outside." I followed him out of the house and sighed.

"I hope they can do it on their own," I said.

"I hope they don't screw anything up," he added.

**A/N: I know you reader's must hate me for all these long waits. I'm making a promise this time, because I have everything else for this week already written out, I just need to edit them. Along with today's update, I will be posting another chapter on Wednesday, and then another one on Sunday. The last week and a half****...well, month, really...**has been hectic and crazy and EVIL. My computer, my family...everything. I'd like to say that I'm sorry for all the late chapters lately, and hopefully, once I get the new parts for my computer, I will be able to post on a timely basis.

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter**—**even if I overlooked any grammar and punctuation errors. Reviews are always appreciated, even if it's just to tell me I suck for not updating. The only thing I do not appeciate...are death threats. (Hehe, you can't kill me if you want more updates!) Until Wednesday...**


	46. Moving In

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

"So, I've been thinking," Damon said, breaking the silence after a few minutes of waiting. "About something Katherine said—"

"You should never listen to Katherine," I interrupted him. "She's always spinning lies."

"Can I finish please?" he asked in an annoyed tone.

"Sorry."

"Anyways, I've been thinking about something Katherine said yesterday," he continued. "It's been eating at me since I left your place last night. She said that John thought...if I was dead, you would kill yourself."

"Alright," I said, knowing what his question was...and the answer.

"Would you?" he asked. "If you knew I was dead, would you kill yourself?"

"Yeah." I nodded without hesitation.

"Why?" he asked.

"What do you mean "why?"" I asked, hitting his arm.

"You know what I mean," he said, holding my wrists so I couldn't hit him again. I sighed and began to explain.

"When I left Mystic Falls, I was in so much pain. At least then, I knew that you were still alive. Part of me... hoped that the pain would go away eventually, and that I could just forget about you...and everthing."

"And?"

"When I came back, and I saw you, built a relationship with you—good or bad—again, that pain finally disappeared." I felt my eyes start to tear up and I closed them. "If you were dead...there would be nothing for me. No hapiness, no hope, nothing."

"You really are something," he whispered after a few minutes, leaning closer. Slowly, his lips brushed against mine in a feather-light touch, and his hands released my wrists and ghosted down my arms, right to my hips. He pulled away, but stayed close.

"So?" I muttered, looking into his eyes.

"I'm afraid you'll break," he replied.

"I don't see a "Fragile-Handle with Care" sticker on me," I said. "Do you?" I saw Damon's smirk before the world blurred; my back hit one of the columns in the front of the house uncomfortably, but everything was better when our lips connected in a frenzied, passionate kiss. My arms were around his neck, his fingers tracing lazy patterns on my denim-clad legs that were wrapped tightly around his waist. He quickly pulled back again before taking my bottom lip between his teeth and sucking on it; I gasped involuntarily at the sensation, and Damon took advantage of the situation, deepening the kiss.

One of his hands let go of my thigh and moved up to push some of my loose curls out of the way, then his hand rested gently on my cheek. I pulled away, finally remembering where we were and why we were here.

"Stop, Damon," I struggled to get out as Damon's head started to dip to get to my neck. "We need to focus." He stopped and slowly pulled away, his eyes full of lust, but also with understanding. After a few more quick kisses, I stood on my own and Damon backed away to regain his self-control.

"Wanna hurry it up in there?" he called inside the witch house to Jeremy and Bonnie, an underlying anger in his voice. Almost immediately, the front door slammed shut; I laughed at the look on Damon's face. "Yeah. Screw you too, Emily. You guys are on you're own in there now!" He walked back over to me and grabbed my hand, pulling me back along the path we took to get back to his car.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

Miranda and I walked up the steps of the Lockwood's house, dodging the guests of the luncheon who were quickly walking out the doors and to their cars. Carol stood at the door, apologizing to everyone for the scare.

"Hey," I said to Carol, who looked calm to hide the terror in her eyes. "How is he?"

"He's dead," Sheriff Forbes said from her place on the floor next to John's body.

"What happened?" I heard Miranda ask Carol as I looked over him.

"I don't know," she sobbed. "One minute everything was fine, and the next we heard him tumbling down the stairs."

"He'll be fine in a couple hours," I said casually, standing up once I saw the Gilbert ring on his hand.

"What are you talking about?" Carol asked in shock. "Damon, he's dead."

"Well..." I looked to Miranda, who shrugged. "Here's the thing...John's ring. It's an old Gilbert family heirloom that protects its owner from death by a supernatural entity."

"But he's not breathing. He has no pulse."

"He will be," I sighed. "Trust me. We're just gonna need a cover story...epileptic fit, alcohol binge," I knelt down and hauled John's body over my shoulder. "Banana peel...whatever works. Right now, I have to get him out of here. Miranda, could you open the trunk?" Miranda nodded and said goodbye to Carol and Liz before walking outside.

"Are you sure it'll be ok?" Liz asked.

"As long as none of your deputies stop be because I have a dead guy in the trunk of my car, everything will be fine," I explained, then followed Miranda outside. Miranda was waiting by the car with the trunk open and cleared for John. I dumped his body and then walked over to the driver's side and got in. "All in a normal day in Mystic Falls," I said, earning a laugh from Miranda.

When we got back to the boarding house, I just dumped John on the floor—he could stay on the floor until he was alive again, I didn't really care. "So, John's here and safe, so he won't spill the beans to anyone, and you," I turned to look at Miranda.

"And me?" she asked in an amused tone.

"You and I are going to finish what we started," I said, rushing over to her and picking her up so her legs were once again around my waist. I immediately went for her neck, pushing her hair out of the way as I did so.

"Oh, Damon, no," she groaned. "You have John's blood all over you...and you're getting it on my jacket." I pulled away and noticed the blood smeared on her olive green, military-styled, cropped jacket.

"So?" I asked, getting back to the task at hand.

"At least wash up first," she muttered almost incoherently as I kissed and sucked at her neck. I smirked against her skin and rushed across the house to my bedroom and then into my bathroom. I set Miranda down on the sink counter, tugged her jacket off and then backed away; I shed my leather jacket and then my shirt—which was also stained with John's blood.

"Better?" I asked, turning on the faucet and washing the blood off my hands. She nodded and handed me a towel with a smile so I could dry my hands off, but I threw it away and ran my wet hands up her arms, enjoying it when she shivered from the shock of the freezing cold water. I groaned in annoyance when my phone started to ring. I pulled it out of my pocket and answered it as I watched Miranda smile innocently.

"I hate you right now, Stefan," I said.

"What? Why?" he asked, slightly thrown offtrack from his thoughts.

"Nevermind," I shook my head. "How did we beat you and Elena home?"

"About that," Stefan sighed angrily. "It was Isobel that killed John, so there would be a distraction and they could get Elena."

"What?" I asked.

"Katherine switched clothes with Elena, and they both got out of the Lockwood's as fast as they could. Isobel has Elena."

"What is it?" Miranda asked, frowning in concern. I tossed the phone away and dug through the soap bowl on the counter, searching for the moonstone. When I couldn't find it, I knocked it off the counter.

"That two-timing bitch!" I exclaimed.

"What is it?" Miranda asked again, jumping off the counter.

"Come on," I grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the bathroom. "Isobel has Elena, and Katherine has the moonstone. We need to stop them from—" Miranda interrupted me before I could finish.

"What...the...hell!"

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

A half-hour later, we pulled up to a large, neoclassical-styled house with a foreclosure sign out on the lawn. "Do you think this is the house?" Stefan asked, getting out of the car.

"Better be," Damon replied. "It's the nicest foreclosure in town."

"Swear to God if she's not here—"

"Relax Stefan," I sighed as we walked toward the door. "Everything will be fine." We walked inside and looked around for a few seconds to see if there was anyone inside, before Stefan ran up the stairs.

"Do you hear anything?" Damon asked.

"No," I shook my head. "You?"

"No." Damon spotted a few pieces of luggage by the door and pointed them out to me as Stefan joined us downstairs.

"This is Isobel's stuff," Damon sighed. "It's definitely the right place."

"Where are they?" Stefan asked.

"I don't know, Stefan," Damon replied in a "duh" tone.

"Look, if Isobel left her things here, she's obviously coming back," I reasoned. "She couldn't have taken Elena that far."

"Unless Klaus is close by," Stefan said as we walked back toward the car. "Where should we look first?" My phone started ringing as soon as I got into the backseat and I answered it.

"Hello."

"Miranda?"

"Elena?" I asked, causing Stefan to jump and turn in his seat.

"It's Elena? Give me the phone," he said, holding his hand out. I slapped his hand away, earning a glare.

"Elena, where are you? Are you alright?" I asked.

"I'm...I'm at the Grove Hill Cemetery," she said, almost struggling to form words. She took a few seconds before continuing. "I'm alright, but can you come and get me?"

"Where is she?" Stefan asked.

"Grove Hill Cemetery," I told him, and Damon started driving. I went back to my conversation with Elena. "We're coming to get you. What happened?"

"Isobel's dead."

"How?"

"She took off her necklace and burned in the sun," she told me. "Klaus compelled her to give him Katherine."

"Klaus?" I asked.

"What about Klaus?" Damon asked.

"Shh!"

"Yeah, and then she got a phone call and she killed herself," Elena continued.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright until we get there?" I asked.

"Yeah," she sighed. "I'll see you later." She ended the call and I put my phone back in my pocket, slumping back into the seat.

"What is it? Is Elena ok?" Stefan asked, reassuming the protective boyfriend role after I just shut him down a few seconds earlier.

"Yeah, she's fine." I nodded. "But...Klaus knows she's in Mystic Falls."

"How?" Damon asked.

"He was compelling Isobel, and now he has Katherine and the moonstone."

"Another problem to add to our already full list?" Damon asked. "Yes."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"So, Isobel's dead, Elena's safe—for now, at least. How would you like to go on a little scavenger hunt?" I asked, walking into the kitchen, where Miranda was making tea for Elena.

"What are we, five?" she laughed.

"Just say yes," I said, leaning against the counter and crossing my arms.

"Fine," she replied, rolling her eyes. I smiled and grabbed her hand, pulling her along with me to the library. "What are we looking for?"

"You'll know when we find it."

"_Damon._"

"The deed to the boarding house," I relented. "We're going to give it to Elena so she can stay here safely."

"Smart," she nodded, opening a desk drawer.

"It was Isobel's idea."

"Crafty."

"So, Elena will be safe here, Stefan will be safe here," I began. "I'll be safe anywhere, so I'm not worried, but what about you?"

"I'll be fine at my house, Damon," Miranda sighed. "Don't worry about it."

"Don't worry?" I asked. "Do you think you'll really be safe? Just to refresh your memory, Isobel tried to kill you at your house, then that Jonas guy, and then you were kidnapped. I'll assume that Klaus has witches too, so he could get to you easily."

"I'm not scared of Klaus," she insisted, flipping through papers. I looked over at her and rushed across the room, taking her face gently in my hands. I ran my thumbs over her cheeks.

"I don't want you to get hurt," I said. "You can go home to get stuff whenever you want, but I want to know that you're safe." Miranda sighed and grabbed my hands in hers.

"When did you become such a softy, Mr. Big-Bad Damon Salvatore?" she teased with a smile.

"I've always been a softy," I replied. "Only for you, though. I wouldn't want people thinking I'm not dangerous anymore."

"Right."

"So you'll stay?"

"Fine," she gave in. I smiled and pulled the deed out from under a stack of papers on the desk.

"Good, we can go and get some of your things later tonight," I told her. "Now we just have to convince Elena."

"I hate you," Miranda groaned, getting up.

"Love you, too." I called back to her as I walked out of the library with a victorious smile.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"Are you done yet?" Damon asked in a restless voice from the living room.

"Hold on," I called to him from my place in the kitchen. "Patience is a virtue."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he groaned. I turned on the stove light and looked around, making sure everything was in it's place. I had my bag all packed and ready to go, waiting at the bottom of the stairs so we could go. I didn't really want to stay at the boarding house, because I wasn't scared of Klaus—I hated him, I wasn't afraid of him—but I did agree that I would be safer there once the deed was in Elena's name.

I noticed a light flash of color by the sink as my eyes scanned over the kitchen. I walked over and picked up the scrap of fabric I had received earlier today and stared at it. It was almost symbolic; hundreds of years ago, lifetimes ago...a life I left behind because of lies and deceit. I remembered that fear I had, the fear of losing control of my emotions and slaughtering again if I went off on my own. That was the main reason I stayed with Elijah and Klaus. I felt safe with them...like I belonged with them, more than I ever felt with my family when I was human.

_"Hello, Miranda," I jumped in my seat as the loud voice echoed in my ears, the book in my hands falling to the floor. It had only been a few weeks since I became a vampire, and I had been spending every second alone, refusing to talk to anyone because everytime I opened my mouth I wanted to cry and pray for forgivness...and death. Soon, thunder echoed through the large home we were staying in._

_ "Did I startle you?" I turned around in my seat and found Klaus leaning against the doorframe. I nodded sheepishly and turned back around to pick the book off the floor, but I saw a hand already holding it out to me. I looked up at Klaus and forced a small smile._

_ "Thank you," I said softly, so soft it wasn't even considered a whisper._

_ "That's the first time I've heard you speak in days," he said cheerfully, taking a seat next to me. He stayed silent for a few long minutes and just watched me, studied me; I kept my eyes on the book in my hands. I didn't feel comfortable here; this place was stranger than my home, the people acted differently than the people I was familiar with. _No going back now,_ I thought. _It's too late.

_ "Do you know what I think?" Klaus began again, and I looked over at him. "I think you need a little fun. How would you like to play a game?" I slowly and cautiously nodded. He smiled and closed his eyes for a brief second, before opening them and whispering, "Boom!" After a few seconds, a loud clap of thunder reached my ears._

_ "How did you do that?" I asked._

_ "You can do it too," he told me. "You just need to listen closely, and try to find sounds that are far away. Do you want to try?" I nodded eagerly. "Close your eyes and focus." I followed his instructions and listened; I could hear footsteps...rain pattering on the windows and against the house...and then a soft rumble that was barely there. "Can you hear it?"_

_ "Yes," I opened my eyes._

_ "Boom," he whispered._

_ "Boom," I repeated, and sure enough the thunder followed soon afterwards._

"What's taking you so long?" Damon asked, walking into the kitchen. He noticed the blue fabric and pointed to it curiously. "What's that?"

"Nothing," I replied, and then walked over to the trash bin. I looked at it once more before pushing it through the little swinging door. "Garbage." I turned around and smiled. "Ready to go?"

"Finally," he groaned and took my hand so we could leave. Soon, Klaus would be dead, and I could close that chapter of my life...for good.

**A/N: There you are, another update, just like I promised. The next one should be up Sunday night or Monday**—**depending on how late I get back from my cousin's birthday party**. **I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Reviews are always appreciated. Until next time...**


	47. Dance With Me Tonight

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

"Up and at 'em, sleepy head," Damon mumbled into my ear. I reached up and pushed my hand into his face to make him go away. "Lawyer's here."

"Now?" I yawned rolling over and looking at him.

"Yes, now," he chuckled. "I could've probably woken you up earlier, but you didn't want to stay in my room with me...and the walk here is just so far," he said with a smirk. I grabbed a pillow and swung it at him, but he dodged it easily.

"Damon, I'm in my pajamas!" I argued, stretching so I would wake up.

"Yeah," he drawled, his eyes roaming down my body lustfully. "I know. Just...throw a jacket and some shoes on for right now, and then you can change once we come back inside."

"Fine," I huffed and got out of the bed. Before I could move toward my still-packed bags, Damon blocked my way.

"Good morning kiss?" he asked with a smirk.

"Don't be so...domestic," I laughed.

"Good morning sex?"

"I swear to God," I mumbled and pushed him out of the way. "If I can't change into actual clothes, you can't have sex."

"You make it difficult to love you," he teased, grabbing my hand and pulling me back against his chest.

"I know," I smirked and quickly kissed him on the lips.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"You really think Bonnie can take on Klaus?" I asked as we stood outside and waited for Elena to finish up.

"She said she could channel enough witch's power to kill him," Stefan replied. "Elijah thought that would work and he was an Original, so..."

"We just need to find him," I finished for him.

"Easier said than done," Miranda replied.

"Could Bonnie do one of those witch tracking spells?" I asked.

"Nope," Stefan shook his head. "Not without something that belongs to Klaus. Believe me, I already asked." We stood there in silence for a few minutes, the only sound was the faint speech coming from inside the boarding house.

"Do you think he killed her?" I asked, referring to Katherine.

"Yeah," Stefan nodded. "Probably."

"It's not like she didn't have it coming," I reasoned. Suddenly, the front door opened and revealed Elena and the old lawyer guy, who looked at Miranda like she had just left the circus. Leather jacket with skimpy, revealing clothes underneath, 4-inch heels and major bed-head; I can see why.

"Thank you, Mr. Henry," Elena said as he left. She turned around and started walking inside, but as Miranda, Stefan and I tried to follow her, we hit an invisible wall.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Elena apologized. "I completely forgot. Stefan, Miranda, would you like to come inside my house?"

"I would love to," Stefan said, walking in. "Thank you."

"I seriously need to change before more people think I'm a prostitute," Miranda muttered, following him. I crossed my arms and glared at Elena.

"What are we, 12?" I asked.

"One of us is," she replied, and I scoffed. "If I let you in, do you promise to obey the owner of this house?"

"No," I shook my head.

"Seriously, Damon," she said, no humor in her tone. "My way. You promised. I call the shots; no lies, no secret agendas. Remember?" I stood there and thought about it for a minute.

"Honestly Damon, just say yes," Miranda groaned as she walked down the hall.

"Fine," I relented.

"Then please," Elena moved out of the way. "Come in." I walked in and saw Stefan smirking at me.

"Shut up," I told him. I walked into the living room and was about to pour myself a drink.

"Wait, where are you going?" Stefan asked, causing me to turn around.

"To school," Elena replied.

"No, no, no." I objected. "We didn't create a safe house for you to leave it."

"Yeah, guys, Klaus is out there. We know that."

"Right," Elena agreed. "But where? No one knows. Look, I really appreciate what you guys are doing, and I'll be able to sleep at night knowing that I'll be safe here, but I'm not going to be a prisoner."

"Your way, Elena," I said, agreeing with her because I promised to.

"Don't worry," Bonnie said. "If he shows his face, I'll take him. I know how."

"The way I see it," Elena continued. "Next to Bonnie is the safest place that I can be. Come on." She and Bonnie left without another word. I looked over at Stefan and he followed them.

"Wait, I'm coming," he said. I rolled my eyes and resumed my original objective: bourbon. I had a feeling that until we killed Klaus, I would be doing a lot of drinking...more than I normally do.

"Where is everyone?" Miranda asked, walking into the living room, fully dressed and ready for the day.

"Going to school," I replied, rolling my eyes as I sat down on the couch. "Are you going to join them too?"

"No," she scoffed, sitting next to me.

"Actually," I said, fingering the edge of ruffly cream-colored skirt. "You would look hot in a cheerleading uniform." Miranda didn't hesitate for a second to punch me in the arm.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

Bonnie, Stefan and Elena burst into the boarding house after school was over. They were all talking and arguing and neither Damon nor I could make sense of any of it. When they finally calmed down enough to talk one at a time, they explained about Klaus compelling a girl at the school to tell Elena he would be at some dance they were having tonight.

"So we go to the dance, and we find him," Damon said, pacing back and forth.

"Really? How are we going to do that?" Stefan asked. "We don't even know what he looks like."

"I do," I shrugged. "I could point him out in a crowd easily. It's like doing a Where's Waldo."

"He could be anywhere at anytime. He compelled somebody at school." Stefan argued, then looked over at Elena and Bonnie. "I guess it's not as safe as you guys thought, huh?"

"Stop overreating, Stefan," I scoffed as someone knocked on the door. "The school is too public a place to try something during the day. Too many witnesses."

"There you are," Damon said as the door opened and Alaric walked in. I watched him as he closed the door and walked towards us; something was...off about him. Different.

"Sorry I'm late," Rick apologized as he joined us in the living room.

"I need you to put Miranda and I down as chaperones at the dance tonight," Damon told him.

"Uh, sure," Rick nodded. "Why?"

"Klaus made his first move."

"Ok," Elena sighed. "So we find him, and then what? What's our plan of attack?"

"Me," Bonnie replied. "I'm the plan. He has no idea how much power I can channel. If you can find him, I can kill him."

"That's not going to be that easy," Rick interjected, laughing. "I mean...he's the biggest, baddest vampire around."

"Alaric has a point." Damon nodded. "I mean, what if he—" In an instant, Damon rushed toward Bonnie to try and attack her, and she just held her hand out and pushed him away with her magic. I watched with awe and slight concern as he flew across the room and landed on a table.

"Wow," I said, fighting the urge to applause. I had always been respectful to witches, but I made a mental note never to get on Bonnie's bad side. "You ok?" I called over to Damon.

"Fine," he groaned, getting up. "Ah. I'm fine."

"Well, I was impressed," Stefan told Bonnie in awe.

"It doesn't matter if he's an Original," Bonnie replied confidently. "I can take down anyone who comes at me. I can kill him...I know I can."

"The power of positive thinking," Rick said after a few seconds. "I'm going to head out. See you guys at the dance tonight." He looked at all of us with a smile, his gaze stopping on me for a second, before he turned around and left. I felt a cold feeling down my spine and I supressed the urge to shiver; there was something wrong, but I couldn't place my finger on it.

* * *

After an hour of arguing with Damon that I'd be safe to go home and find something to wear for the dance, I was now searching through boxes of old clothes in one of my extra bedrooms, that I had packed up and forgotten about.

"God, why do I keep all of this stuff?" I asked myself, pushing aside the box I had gone through and moving to the next one. I ripped the tape off of the box and removed the protective tissue paper barrier and sighed triumphantly when I got to the clothes. I pulled out each piece, carefully examining them and setting aside the ones I wanted, but then I frowned in frustration.

"This isn't going to work," I sighed. "I need to find my sewing machine, because this just won't work."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I heard the doorbell ring as I pulled a shirt out of my dresser, and groaned in frustration. "You gonna get that Stefan?" I yelled. When there was no reply, I quickly left my bedroom and went to answer it. "God, it's not like you don't live here too," I grumbled, walking down the hall.

"I can hear you," Stefan called out, amusement in his voice. I rolled my eyes and threw on my shirt, foregoing the buttons for now. I got to the door just as the bell rang again.

"Haven't you ever heard of patie—hello," I said, my frustration suddenly disappearing when I saw Miranda. I was expecting her to look like a hippie, but...I never expected this. My eyes slowly roamed down her form, taking everything in; white blouse, blue blazer and matching skirt that reached a bit above the knee, the pristine white gloves on her hands, the white vinyl go-go boots, and the little blue hat perched on her head.

"Hey handsome," she smirked, the soft rose-colored lipstick making her lips look even more kissable.

"Well, well, well," I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the door. "I would never have guessed you were a Pan Am stewardess."

"It was a trend," she said, shrugging and walking inside. "Everyone was doing it."

"I see that you were easily swayed by peer pressure," I replied.

"I was bored and it was something to do," she explained. I smirked and placed my hands on her waist, pulling her against me.

"Hey, I'm not complaining," I said. I leaned in closer, my lips only millimeters from hers. "It's totally _groovy._ After this dance is over, maybe I can earn some...frequent flier miles."

"You're terrible," she whispered back, resting a gloved hand on the back of my neck. "But you're not funny." She backed away and crossed her arms. "Are Stefan and Elena ready yet?"

"Not sure," I shrugged. "I was in the middle of getting dressed when you rang the doorbell in that...delicious little outfit of yours."

"I can see that," she said in amusement. I quickly buttoned the shirt up and grabbed her hand.

"Come on," I said. "Let's see what's taking them so long."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"...if you see Klaus, point him out right away."

"I know."

"And if he approaches you, get as far away from him as possible."

"I'm not afraid of him, Damon," I informed him as we approached the school, Stefan and Elena trailing along behind us.

"That doesn't mean he can't hurt you," he replied in a worried voice.

"Stop worrying," I replied. "I know what to do if I see him."

"Good," he nodded, and then grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly. I looked up at him and smiled to calm him down a little bit; he only squeezed my hand tighter. Tonight was going to be fine...it had to be.

**A/N: School is back, baby! I've already had 3 tests and caught a cold; yep, the school year is starting out splendidly. Sorry for the wait, guys, but if you've ever been a student, you know how it is. This update is going to be the only one this week, and then the next one will be posted on Wednesday night...right before Season 3 starts. I've already got some ideas floating in my head from all of those promos and sneak peeks.**

**It's a little short, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter anyways. I swear that the next one is going to be longer; my brain is a little fzpped from being sick. Reviews are always appreciated. Until next time...**


	48. All My Only Dreams

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Damon's POV**

"I don't like how they're looking at you," I whispered into Miranda's ear as we pushed through the crowd of dancing teenagers. Elena and Stefan were not too far behind with Jeremy and Bonnie. Despite the fact that they were dancing with their girlfiends, some of the little twerps were leering at Miranda, and I didn't like it at all.

"And?" she asked, trying to supress a laugh.

"And I think I'm getting thirsty," I replied.

"I swear to God," she sighed, rolling her eyes at me.

"Do you see him anywhere?" Stefan asked as our little group stopped in the middle of the crowd.

"Nope," Miranda shook her head. "Nothing yet." The slow song that was playing when we walked in faded away, and a girl at the microphone began talking.

"Thanks for being here, everybody," she said cheerfully, earning a roaring applause from everyone. When they calmed down, she continued. "We have a special shout-out tonight. This is for Elena...from Klaus." I frowned in frustration as the crowd cheered again.

"That was a lame, cheap shot," I sneered. "He's just trying to bait us."

"I know everyone here," Elena said, scanning the crowd.

"Maybe he's not here," Jeremy replied. "Maybe we were wrong and he's just trying to scare us."

"That's not how it works," Miranda disagreed. "Not with Klaus."

"Look, it's a party. Let's blend and let him come to us," I suggested.

"Good idea," Bonnie nodded, grabbing Jeremy's arm and pulling him away. I looked around and spotted Rick standing near the punch table, much like he was when I met him at the 50's dance a few months earlier.

"There's Rick," I told Stefan and Elena as I grabbed Miranda's hand. "We'll see you guys later."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

We approached Rick, who was carefully scanning the crowd. That...off feeling I had about him returned as soon as his gaze connected with mine; what the hell was it? I shook it off, hoping that there was just something wrong with me.

"Special dedication, huh?" he asked. "This guy's a little twisted."

"I'm not impressed," Damon replied.

"No?" Alaric asked, seeming surprised. "What about you Miranda?"

"What about me?" I asked.

"I don't know." he shrugged. "Aren't you scared he might try something?"

"I'm not afraid of Klaus, or his little games," I told him, crossing my arms.

"I'm gonna go take a look around," Damon sighed. "Let me know if you see anything out of whack." He left, leaving me alone with Alaric.

"So, have you talked to Jenna?" I asked, trying to get rid of the uneasy feeling I had. "I tried calling her this morning, but I just got her voicemail."

"Uh, no," Rick shook his head. "What are you supposed to be, anyways?" He quickly changed the subject.

"I'm a Pan Am stewardess," I told him, pointing to the little gold pin in my hat.

"I don't think the go-go boots were a part of the uniform," he observed.

"I had to...make a quick adjustment to it," I replied. "The skirt was a too long, and heels aren't too fun to watusi in." A small smile formed on Rick's lips. "Ah, got you to smile, Mr. Frowny Face. I know you and Jenna have hit a bit of a hard patch, but you've got to loosen up a little bit."

Rick just stared at me, the smile fading after a second; his gaze was piercing at unsettling.

"Excuse me," I smiled. "I'm going to go and look around...see if I can find Klaus anywhere."

"No, it's fine," Rick nodded. "See you later."

"Yeah," I replied and walked away. I quickly looked back to find him watching me leave. What the hell was going on?

* * *

I wandered around the room for a half hour before I gave up and made my way through the crowd so I could go outside and get some fresh air just as a slow, sweet song began playing.

_ Every night I pray,_

_ I'll have you here someday._

_ I'll count the stars tonight, _

_ and hope with all my might._

I felt two arms wrap around my waist as I ran into someone. I looked up to find a smirking Damon. "Wanna dance?" he asked.

"Not really," I replied.

"We need to talk," he said, getting me to sway with him to the music. "It's about Bonnie."

_And when I close my eyes,_

_ you'll be right by my side._

_ If I could only have one wish, _

_ you'd be the girl whose lips I'd kiss._

_ All my only dreams..._

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Is she ok?"

"If I asked you a question, would you tell me the truth?" he asked.

"Yes," I nodded. "But what does this have to do with Bonnie?"

"It does. I promise."

"Ok."

_And when I close my eyes,_

_ you'll be right by my side._

_ If I could have just one request,_

_ stay with me girl I confess._

_ All my only dreams..._

"If Klaus attacked right now and tried to kill Elena, would you try and stop him?" he asked seriously.

"Yes," I replied. "Of course."

"Even if you knew you might die trying?"

"Yes, Damon," I said and he got this...unreadable expression in his eyes. "What's the matter with you?"

_ So every night I pray,_

_ I'll have you here one day._

_ I'll count the stars tonight, _

_ and hope with all my might._

Unexpectedly, Damon's lips crashed into mine in a gentle but passionate kiss that I couldn't help but lose myself in. His grip on my waist tightened as he pulled me as close to him as he was able to; I finally came to my senses and pushed him away when I felt him try to deepen the kiss.

"What the hell is going on Damon?"

_ And when I close my eyes,_

_ you'll be right by my side._

_ If I could have just one request,_

_ stay with me girl I confess._

"If Bonnie tries to kill Klaus with her powers, she might die trying to control it all," Damon replied gravely. My mouth opened in shock, and it took me a while for it to register in my mind. After a few seconds, I just rested my head on Damon's shoulder and let the music get rid of the terrible feeling that overcame me.

"You can't tell Elena," Damon whispered into my ear.

"No," I shook my head. "I won't."

_ All my only dreams..._

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"Come on, why aren't you dancing?" I asked Miranda, trying to speak over the loud music. She was standing off to the side with her arms crossed and a large smile on her face as I danced with two hippie girls.

"Because I'm having more fun watching you make a fool of yourself," she replied.

"You know what I think," I began. "I think you're afraid you can't dance as well as I can."

"For the love of God," she groaned, rolling her eyes as I smirked. I grabbed her hand, pulled her forward and made her to the twist with me.

"Hey guys," Stefan said when he walked over. "Can I, uh, talk to you for a minute?"

"Can't you see that I'm busy Stefan?" I asked.

"It's important," he replied. We stopped and I looked at him, seeing the look on his face.

"What is it?" Miranda asked.

"Did you two know that Bonnie is on a suicide mission?" he asked angrily.

"Oh great," I huffed. "You know, and you probably told Elena."

"Yeah, I told her," he replied. "You said no more secrets. Why didn't _you_ tell her?" Miranda grabbed his arm and pulled him out into the hallway where we could have a little privacy.

"We're only trying to protect Elena, Stefan," she told him. "She would only feel terrible if she knew."

"Well she knows," he said.

"And she's probably going to ask Bonnie not to go through with it right?" I asked. "She has the power to kill Klaus. It's the only option we have."

"Elena is going to be miserable if we choose that path," Stefan said.

"But at least she'll be alive," Miranda tried to reason with him. There was a loud yell that echoed from down the hall and we all turned and looked in that direction. "Is that?"

"Yeah," I nodded and the three of us ran in that direction. "Hey idiots!" I called out when I saw three punks beating Jeremy up. Immediately, they turned around and faced us. One of them pulled out a little crossbow and shot a stake into my shoulder. As I pulled it out, the other two revealed their own anti-vampire knick-knacks.

"Lemme guess," I said. "Klaus says hi." Stefan and Miranda quickly incapacited the other two while I grabbed the one that shot me; I was about to return the favor when Miranda stopped me.

"Don't kill him," she said. "He didn't mean to do it. They're compelled."

"So?" I asked.

"It's a distraction," Stefan replied. "You two have to find Bonnie and Elena while I take care of this." I growled and threw the kid into the lockers.

"Come on," I said, grabbing Miranda's hand, and I pulled her along with me.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

Damon and I quickly walked through the school, looking down every hallway to try and find Elena and Bonnie.

"I'm worried," I told him.

"Don't be," Damon replied.

"If Klaus lured them away, he could do anything to them without us being able to protect them."

"Bonnie can protect Elena."

"But who's going to protect Bonnie?" I asked.

"It'll be fine. We'll find them."

Finally, we pushed through a set of dark blue doors and found both of them, looking scared and out of breath.

"What happened?" Damon asked.

"Klaus is in Alaric's body," Elena said frantically.

"What?" I asked, hoping I didn't hear her correctly.

"He's possessing it or something," Bonnie explained. "I don't know..."

"Go find Stefan," Damon told Elena, who just nodded. "Now."

"Ok," she replied and turned to Bonnie.

"Now, Elena." I said to her. "You have to go!" She looked at me with fear in her eyes, then ran back in the direction we came from. When she was gone, Damon turned to Bonnie.

"Can you kill him?"

"He's got some kind of protection spell," she told us.

"You have the power of a hundred dead witches," Damon replied. "Break it."

"She can't," I stopped him. "If she breaks it, she won't kill Klaus, she'll kill Alaric. And if he's just trying to get Bonnie to burn out from her powers, then he'll be able to get to Elena easily."

"Miranda's right," Bonnie agreed. "He's just trying to kill me."

"No," Damon shook his head. "Klaus does not get to win tonight."

"But..."

"Are you still willing to do whatever it takes to kill him?" he asked, interrupting Bonnie.

"Of course."

"Then you'll just have to listen to me and hope that it'll work out."

"Fine."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"I hate this," Miranda whispered as we watched Stefan and Elena run down the hall toward the cafeteria, where Bonnie was executing my plan.

"What?" I asked.

"This...terrible feeling inside," she replied. "It's a mixture of sadness and hate and guilt." I walked over to her and pulled her into my arms, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"You need to learn to supress your emotions a little better," I told her.

"Yeah," she shook her head. "I can't do that."

"Why not?" I asked.

"It's..." she sighed. "You wouldn't understand."

"BONNIE! NO!" Elena's scream echoed through the hallway.

"I guess that's our cue," I said, leading Miranda down the hall.

"I hope this works," she replied.

"It will," I told her. "Just trust me."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

When we got to the cafeteria and I saw Elena crying as she held Bonnie in her arms, I tried to hold back the tears that were stinging my eyes. Elena was my friend; she didn't deserve to go through all this pain and heartache just because some madman was trying to kill her for some selfish act.

"Stefan, get Elena out of here," Damon said. "Miranda and I will deal with the body."

"What do you mean, deal with it?" Elena asked angrily.

"Elena, the sheriff is on alert about anything vampire related," I tried to explain. "If Bonnie's body turns up...it won't be good."

"But this is Bonnie!" she protested. "You can't just...dump her in the woods! You can't!"

"Get her home," Damon said to Stefan. "Now. So we can clean this up."

"Oh my God, Jeremy." Elena said as Stefan tried to get her to stand. "What about Jeremy?"

"We'll find him," he replied.

"No!" she sobbed. Once they were gone I walked over and knelt next to Bonnie as Damon pulled out his phone, who was staring up at me in a dead gaze. For a split second, I wondered what death felt like; I had died before...but it wasn't a true death. Did it feel like a dream? Or just a void? I sighed and closed Bonnie's eyes before looking up at Damon.

"I texted Jeremy so he could meet us by the car," he said as he carefully lifted Bonnie off the ground. "Come on."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

We got back to the boarding house an hour later, after we brought Jeremy and Bonnie to the witch house, and I tossed my keys onto the hall table when we walked inside.

"What did you do with her?" Elena asked immediately. She didn't even give us a second to breathe."

"Will you please calm her down?" I asked Stefan.

"Don't talk like I'm not standing right in front of you," Elena said angrily. Miranda pushed past me and slowly approached her.

"Elena, you have to calm down," she pleaded with her. "Please."

"You two knew, didn't you?" Elena asked, her question directed at Miranda. "You knew that if she harnessed all that power, she would die. Didn't you?"

"Yes," Miranda nodded.

"WHY! I would expect that kind of secrecy from _him_," Elena sobbed, pointing at me. "But not you. I thought that you were my friend, Miranda, that you would understand and care enough not to hide something this big from me." I saw the tears in Miranda's eyes start to increase and I quickly rushed across the room and in between the two of them.

"Stop it," I said. "Don't try to blame Miranda for any of this. _I_ asked her not to tell you, alright? But you need to listen to me and prepare for what I'm about to say. Bonnie had to die; Klaus using Alaric's body was a total surprise. She wasn't prepared for that, and he wasn't going to stop...and we weren't going to be able to stop him until he knew she was dead. He had to believe it."

"What are you talking about?"

"She cast a spell," Miranda continued for me, pushing me out of the way. "Bonnie's alive, and she's going to be ok."

"I...I don't believe it," Elena muttered, shaking her head.

"I wouldn't lie to you Elena," Miranda said. "I promise. Not again."

Elena nodded and forced a teary smile before turning around and quickly running into Stefan's arms. I took Miranda's hand in mine and pulled her towards the stairs.

* * *

I walked out of my bathroom sometime later that night; I had spent a few hours with Miranda in her room, just sitting in silence and watching her as she got ready for bed, words and laughs occasionally passing between us. I wouldv'e stayed longer, but she said that she wanted to read for a little while and let the events of the night just simmer away. I promised that I would be back later to check on her, and that she knew where to find me if she needed to.

I finally changed out of my retro 60's throwback clothes, and I walked into my bedroom to put my stuff away, when I saw Elena standing at the doorway, frowning.

"Ugh, look," I scoffed, hoping that she wouldn't lash out on me. "Klaus had to think she was dead. Your reaction had to be real."

"I understand why you and Miranda did what you did now," Elena explained. "Klaus was fooled, and Bonnie's alive..."

"Here's to duplicity," I said, raising my glass of scotch toward her.

"...but let's get one thing straight, Damon. Bonnie will not die for me, I will not let that happen." I frowned in frustration.

"We need to kill Klaus, Elena. Real Klaus. Who will probably be coming to pay you a visit soon now that he thinks that Bonnie is dead. She's the only one who can do it."

"We'll find another way," she insited.

"I hope so." I turned and walked over to my closet to put away my jacket.

"I went to Miranda's room to apologize for earlier, but the door was closed and..."

"And you thought I would be the next best thing to justify your actions to?"

"Yeah," she nodded bashfully.

"I'm sure she'll forgive you, Elena," I said, walking back over to her. "Miranda considers you a very close friend, I'm sure of it. She'll do anything to protect you, just like Bonnie, me or Stefan would. But I want to be clear about something, Elena; I care about Miranda more than anything in the world. If I think that she's in danger while we're protecting you...if I see that she's in danger, even for a split-second, I will be there for her first. I will always choose her. Always." I waited for Elena's response, which was a slow, understanding smile.

"I understand completely," she nodded. "I wouldn't ask for anything else from you." She turned around and walked toward the door. "Goodnight Damon."

"Good night." I watched as she left, closing the door behind her, and then smiled, drinking the rest of my scotch.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I was lounging in my bed, resting in a nest of pillows and blankets as I read a book, slowly succumbing to sleep now that I was calm. My eyes drooped shut and I let go of the book to snuggle into the warmth and softness of the pillow my head rested on.

There was a faint knock on the bedroom door that startled me, causing me to wake from the semi-consious state I was in.

"Come in," I said, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. The knock persisted and I rolled my eyes as I got up and walked over to the door.

"I swear to God," I muttered, opening it up. I was about to look up at who woke me up, but I felt someone grab my head in their hands and slam it against the wall. Then, there was darkness...

**A/N: AHHHHHH! I'm so happy! My computer is fixed, finally, after 3 months of painful torment and constant prayer that it wouldn't fall off its last leg. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'd like to apologize for updating a little late and for any errors, but I had a calculus test this morning and I was studying last night. Reviews are always appreciated. Until next time, my lovely readers...**

**Song Credit: **_**All My Only Dreams**_** by The Wonders. (From the movie ****That Thing You Do!**** I know that it isn't 60's authentic, but the movie is set in the 60's and I love it so much. I suggest that everyone should go and watch it...right now!)**


	49. Let Me Tell You 'Bout My Best Friend

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

_ I stared at the clear water of the pond; occasionally, a stray tear would fall from my cheek and ripple the face staring back at me. Everything was overwhelming_—_my senses, my emotions, my surroundings_—_but this...this was simple. I tried to block out everything as I stared into the pond, occasionally dipping my fingers into the water and watching the tiny fish swarm them to see what the new thing in their world was._

_ It had been two days since I was reborn; since then, I had been with Elijah. Mostly, he just spent time showing me all the new abilities that had acquired in this...transformation, and how I could utilize them all to my advantage. I tried to listen to him, but I couldn't help but reflect on how I had used various things instinctively in the destruction of my home and all of the people who lived there. I was grateful that Elijah was patient with me, stopping to sit with me and get me to calm down. It wasn't my fault, he said._

_ He had left me alone by the pond some time ago, and I was beginning to feel alone and worried. He had promised that he would protect me, but perhaps he thought I was too much of a burden. Perhaps…_

_ There was a loud snap of a branch behind me and I jumped, turning around to see what caused it. Everything was a blurry mess, and I wished that I could control my eyesight already; it kept switching from incredibly enhanced to…human, and it was giving me a headache. I sighed when I realized there was nothing there, and turned back to the pond, only to find someone sitting right next to me; I jumped up and backed away from the stranger, eying him carefully._

_ "Hello there," he said smoothly, a small smile on his lips. "I didn't mean to frighten you." This man—this vampire?—was handsome and kind-looking, but had a sense of danger around him that I could detect immediately. Who was he? _

_ "Who are you?" I asked, continuing to back away as he stood up and approached me._

_ "There's no need to be afraid, Miranda," he replied. "I mean you no harm."_

_ "How do you know who I am?" I asked. Almost instantly, the distance between us was gone and he was right in front of me._

_ "I saw the little mess you made," he whispered and my eyes began to sting from the tears that were starting to form. "I saw how you slaughtered your family, your friends…everyone. It was terrible."_

_ "I didn't mean to hurt them," I replied, shaking my head._

_ "But they deserved it, didn't they?" he asked, lifting his hands up to cup my cheeks. "It wasn't your fault, was it?"_

_ "I-"_

_ "What exactly are you doing here?" Elijah's voice echoed against the trees. I looked behind the man and saw him standing a few yards away, with his arms crossed over his chest and a serious look on his face._

_ "I was just introducing myself to dear Miranda here," the man replied, backing away and quickly turning to look at Elijah. He then turned back to me and smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miranda. My name is Klaus."_

"Time to wake up Miranda," a familiar voice echoed in my ears. "Miranda?" Suddenly there was a sharp slap against my cheek and my head snapped to the side.

"Son of a bitch!" I yelled, fully awake with my eyes wide open.

"She has such foul language, doesn't she Maddox?" I turned immediately to see Alaric—or rather, Klaus—standing before me with his warlock goon next to him. I looked around and immediately recognized the sheet-covered boxes and antique settee under the windows; I knew we were in one of the guest bedrooms in my house.

"Oh shut up," I hissed at him.

"That's a fine way to greet an old friend, Miranda," Alaric…Klaus said. "No "long time, no see?" No "you don't know how much I missed you?" You used to be so kind Miranda; what happened?"

"You happened," I replied. He smirked and walked over to me, lifting a hand up to move a loose strand of hair from my face and caress my cheek.

"It's nice to see that you hold me in such high regard," he said. Klaus looked over his shoulder. "Maddox."

I was about to slap his hand away when, I felt an intense pressure build up in my head that soon erupted into a painful burning. I knew the reaction Klaus wanted, and I bit my lip to keep him from getting the satisfaction.

"You're a trooper, aren't you?" Klaus asked me, but he sounded far away and foreign. "Maybe you could turn it up a few notches Maddox?"

Almost immediately the pain got worse, but it increased at a terribly slow pace making every second feel unimaginably longer than it was. I quickly closed my eyes and brought my hands up to cover my mouth to muffle the sob that escaped me, and Klaus chuckled for a few moments.

"I'm surprised that you've held out for this long," he laughed. "But I can see that your close to the edge, aren't you?"

"W-what do you w-w-want, Klaus?" I asked with an incredible amount of difficulty. "A-are you enj-j-joying this?" Once again, a sob made its way out of me, but I was so unable to function because of all the energy I was using to hold back the scream that was building up in my throat.

"I'm insulted, Miranda," Klaus scoffed before laughing again. I could feel him in close proximity again, his breath on my face. "Why are you trying to fight it? Just let it out. You'll feel much better." It took me a few seconds, but I shook my head.

"Think about all those people you killed so long ago, Miranda; your friends, your family," he whispered. "How much pain were they in? How did their screams sound against your ears? Remember all the pain built up inside you from their betrayal; you're in pain again Miranda. Just let go."

So I did. My scream was so loud, echoing off the walls of the room and penetrating them at the same time. For every second I screamed, the pain that cut and burned through me lessened a little more; once the pain was gone and I stopped screaming I slumped back against the soft cushions of the armchair I was in, shivering and cold, a small drop of blood trickling down my lip from where I had bitten into it. And Klaus…Klaus just smiled a smile that didn't belong on Alaric's face.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I turned over in my bed and cringed when a ray of sun shined in my face, effectively waking me. "What the hell?" I groaned, lifting an arm up to shield my face. "Miranda, did you leave the curtains open?" I asked groggily. When there was no response I looked around, rubbing my eyes to see clearly. That's when I remembered I was in my room at the boarding house and that Miranda was in her own room.

And then I remembered I was supposed to check up on her…

"6 hours ago," I groaned again, looking at my alarm clock. "Shit." She was going to kill me for waking her up so late. I quickly got out of bed, took a shower and got dressed. I began walking down the hall to her room, trying to stifle the laugh at the look Miranda would have on her face when she realized what time it was.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head," I said, knocking lightly on Miranda's door when I reached it; I waited a few seconds—listening for any noises coming from inside—before trying again. "Come on Miranda. Can't sleep all day." I opened the door and walked into the room, stopping in my tracks when I saw the empty bed. I quickly walked across the room and peaked into the bathroom. Nothing.

"Maybe she's already up," I thought out loud. "I've got to stop her early-riser habits," I told myself as I left to go downstairs and find her. I found Stefan looking around frantically as I went down to the living room. "Hey, have you seen Miranda yet today?" I asked him.

"No," he replied. "Have you seen Elena?" There was a brief pause before something clicked and we ran down to the cellar. I pushed open the door to the room we had been keeping Elijah in, only to find it empty.

Ugh, not again.

* * *

**Klaus' POV**

_ It was amusing; I watched my brother and Miranda every chance I could. I listened to the tales he told her, the stories of places far away, the tricks she could now use due to her vampirism. I confronted him the other day about why he was leaving out certain…details in some of the things he told her._

_ "I wish to protect her Klaus," he had replied. "As long as she is here, I do not want anything to hurt her again." I had scoffed silently at my brother; he didn't even behave this way with our own family, so why did he have such protectiveness over the girl?_

_ She roamed about the manor we were currently occupying as if she didn't exist; the only times I ever saw her or heard a sound from her was when she was with Elijah. I began to think that having her stay with us was a mistake; the weapon I thought I could use her as was seemingly gone because of the lack of emotion—the lack of life—stayed in her eyes. That murderous gaze that came from the thought of revenge was gone. _

"_What are you thinking about, brother?" I heard Elijah's voice in my ears as I lounged on the window seat, staring out at the grassy field outside the window, where Miranda was sitting alone with her back facing the manor._

"_What makes you think that I'm thinking?" I asked with a smirk as I looked over at him._

"_Because you aren't killing anyone," he replied, slowly making his way over. He sighed when he saw that I was watching Miranda. "I know what you want from her," he said. "But I'd like to inform you now that it isn't happening."_

_ "And why is that?"_

_ "Because she's gone," he said with some kind of sadness hidden behind his words. "The Miranda I've known since she was a child is gone, and now there's only an empty shell of herself that only smiles when she forces herself too." Somewhere inside, I felt the urge to feel sad for my brother…and ignored it; I didn't need Elijah distracted while we were trying to find a doppelganger and break the curse. His thoughts were focused on Miranda, and if she kept her emotions off from the fear and insecurity…I would just have to make sure she felt safe and at ease with us in order for everything to get back on track._

_ "Don't worry so much brother," I told Elijah as I turned away from him and stared out the window to watch the fragile little doll that was now in our company. "Everything will work itself out soon enough."_

* * *

**Elena's POV**

I pulled up to a stop on the corner of the street a few blocks from the forest; I knew that if I wanted to talk to Elijah alone, it needed to be someplace where Stefan, Damon and Miranda couldn't find us easily. I turned in the driver's seat and looked at Elijah, who was drinking from a blood bag I…borrowed from the freezer in the boarding house cellar.

"You look better," I told him, hoping that he would eventually tell me what he knew.

"Where did you get the dagger?" he asked, a tone of annoyance and hostility hidden deep in his voice.

"I'll tell you everything," I tried to deal with him. "But we have to work together. I need your word."

"Your ability to make demands has long passed," he replied.

"No demands," I quickly told him. "I'm offering you my help, and in return, I want yours."

"And why should I consider this?" he asked in amusement.

"The same reason that you haven't killed me; you need my help to kill Klaus, and I need you." He sat there and stared at me for a moment of what I was hoping was consideration, and then my phone started to vibrate in my pocket and I immediately answered, knowing who was calling.

"Where are you?" Stefan asked over the phone urgently. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," I replied. "I'm fine."

"Where's Elijah?"

"He's right here," I said, quickly glancing over at him.

"Is she with them too?" I thought I heard Damon say faintly on the other end.

"Where are you?" Stefan asked. "I'm on my way."

"No Stefan," I quickly stopped him. "I need some time alone with Elijah."

"Listen to me, he can't be trusted. He'll use you to get to Klaus."

"Elijah is a noble man, Stefan." I said, looking at Elijah again. "He lives by a code of honor; I can trust him. He knows that I'd be incredibly stupid to betray him again. By removing the dagger…I have proven myself."

"You can't…" Stefan began but immediately was interrupted by Damon, who had obviously taken the phone from him."

"Put Miranda on, I want to talk to her," Damon ordered.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, suddenly confused.

"I've been trying her phone for the last 15 minutes, and she isn't answering. Put. Her. On. The. Phone."

"Wait a minute," I stopped him. "You think Miranda's with Elijah and I?"

"Yes, where else could she be?" he asked. There were a few seconds of silence where I tried to push back the worry that suddenly built up in my chest and tried to find the right words to say.

"Damon…she isn't with us," I told him. "I haven't seen her since last night."

"Then where is…" There was a loud growling noise on the other end and I had to pull the phone away from my ear. "Get the hell away from me Stefan…I swear to God."

"Elena?" Stefan was back on the line and I put the phone back to my ear.

"Yeah," I replied. "What happened?"

"We just assumed Miranda was with you because she disappeared too this morning."

"Well I don't know where she is," I told him. "Do you think something happened to her?"

"I don't know," he sighed. "Listen, you have to tell me where you are; it's better if we're all together and I know that you're safe."

"No, I'm going to stay with Elijah; he can protect me if there's any danger," I replied.

"But Elena," he began, but I cut him off.

"It's my decision Stefan," I said. "Please respect it. And make sure Damon doesn't do anything stupid. I'll call if there's anything wrong; I promise."

I hung up and looked over at Elijah, who had a small frown on his face. He lifted his hand up and held it out; I sighed and carefully placed the phone in his hand.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

If Miranda wasn't with Elena and Elijah, then where the hell could she be? I turned around and looked across the library at Stefan, who was putting his phone away.

"Did she just hang up on you?" I asked.

"She did."

"She's lost it," I told him. "Like it's going to work; we've killed Elijah twice already."

"If anyone can get him to help us kill Klaus, it's her," he replied.

"Or Miranda," I reminded him. "Besides, we have Bonnie. Klaus thinks she's dead, so we have a chance to catch him off guard."

"But she'll die," Stefan replied. "Elena's just looking for a way to protect her friend." I sighed in frustration and ran a hand over my face.

"You need to find a way to stop her and I need to go and find where Miranda is," I said walking over to one of the chairs to get my jacket.

"No, we just need to back off and let things play out."

"What?" I exclaimed in shock.

"Look, I know that this isn't exactly the best plan, but it'll work. Elena has an idea of how to get Elijah's help, and if Miranda is in some kind of trouble, she can take care of herself." I scoffed and walked toward the door so I could leave, but Stefan grabbed my arm to stop me.

"I said back off," he repeated menacingly.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

_I lifted my hand up and carefully placed it against the glass; I closed my eyes as I felt the coldness of the window against my skin. At home, there occasionally cool days, but never like this. I could feel something on my cheek and I opened my eyes and reached up to see what it was; I looked down at my fingertips and found them wet. Was I crying? I didn't think I was sad…I barely felt anything…I didn't _want_ to feel anything._

_ "Miranda?" I heard Klaus' voice echo from down the hall. He hadn't talked to me since a week ago during the thunderstorm where we sat for almost two hours listening to the thunder. Elijah had been keeping me company whenever he had a chance, and aside from feeding I tried to stay as hidden as I could, pushing my emotions away the best of my ability._

_ It wasn't as if I didn't like Klaus…he was just different from Elijah. It was as if he planned every moment and the one after it; nothing happened if he didn't want it to happen. I wasn't afraid of him, but he just had an air about him that seemed…dangerous._

_ "Have you been hiding, Miranda?" I jumped at the closeness of his voice and turned around, finding him right in front of me. He started laughing at, what I suspected was, the shocked expression on my face._

_ "Did you think that was funny?" I asked._

_ "Yes, very." he replied with a smile. I stared at him for a moment before turning back to the window to continue looking outside; I felt Klaus take a step closer as a large gust of wind ruffled the leaves of the tree just outside the window. "What are you thinking about?"_

_ "Everything feels a little different now," I told him, reaching up and touching the cold glass again. "It's strange."_

_ "And why do you think that is?"_

_ "Because I'm dead," I replied._

_ "Well," he began. He reached up, pulled my hand off the window, turned it over and then traced over a vein visible in my wrist with his thumb. I could feel the light throbbing of my faint pulse as he pressed down into my skin. "Sometimes death doesn't need to be the end of life."_

I weakly pushed my hair out of my face and opened my eyes, blinking a few times to cleat my vision; my ears were ringing so severely, I couldn't make out a word Klaus said to Maddox before the warlock left the room.

"…expect you to have that much of a handle over your emotions," I could finally hear as the ringing subsided.

"It's been over 500 years, Klaus," I laughed. "You really think I'm still the weak little girl I was when I last saw you."

"Hmm, we'll see," he simply replied. A look of remembrance passed over his face, which was soon replaced by a sly smile. "I almost forgot; I was doing a little digging and I found something quite…interesting." From his pocket, he produced the scrap of dress fabric I found in my mailbox a few days ago. "I never thought you were someone who threw away gifts."

"I never thought you were someone who dug through trash cans," I retorted.

"I remember the day I saw this dress in a shop as I was walking through the main street in town," he said distantly. "I thought about how much you would love it, and you did. I remember…"

"Enough," I cut him off. "You aren't here so we can have a little walk down memory lane, so cut it out."

"I can't reminisce about the good old days with one of my oldest and dearest friends?" he asked, the smirk indicating that he was mocking me.

"Stop it."

"It's fun," he laughed. "Why should I stop?"

"Because…" I sighed. "If you ever considered me a true friend, you would." The smile fell from his lips and he just stood there and stared at me, his eyes cold and unexpressive…as if he was hiding something.

The door suddenly opened, allowing the warlock to rejoin the little _party_ we were having in here. He stared at Klaus and I for a short moment and frowned, turning his attention solely to Klaus.

"Everything is going according to plan," he said as quietly as he could. "They're on their way."

"Good," Klaus smiled. "Do you have the—"

"Yes, I found it in the basement," Maddox nodded and pulled a blood bag from the inner pocket of his jacket; he became cautious as he turned and approached me, ready to defend himself if I chose to attack him. He held his hand out to me and I just looked up at him, raising an eyebrow in question.

"You must be hungry Miranda," Klaus said. "You can take it if you want to; I'm not _that_ terrible."

_Close to it,_ I thought, but refrained from saying anything.

I looked at the blood bag and took it from Maddox; I might have been weak and blood-thirsty, but nothing mattered anymore because I was so annoyed at the situation I was in. I immediately threw the blood bag with as much strength as I could at Klaus, and it smacked him right in the face, causing his head to snap to the side. After a few moments of silence, I began to regret my actions and hoped that I didn't harm Alaric's body.

"Now," Klaus laughed, lifting a hand up to his cheek. "That wasn't very nice, Miranda."

"You're not playing nice, so I'm not going to play nice," I argued. "What the hell do you want from me?"

"I have a feeling that you already know," he replied casually.

"Yeah, well I think we both know that isn't happening." I huffed, slightly out-of-breath, as I leaned back in the chair. Klaus smirked and slowly approached me; he gently caressed my cheek with the back of his hand.

"I'll get you to break eventually," he said. "And then there will be nothing but bloodshed." I quickly slapped his hand away from my face.

"I wish you were in your own body so I could smash that smug face of yours open," I snapped, earning a chuckle. He suddenly stood up and turned to leave. "Where are _you_ going?"

"I have something that I need to see to," he replied. "Maddox will happily keep you company until I get back."

"So I'm a prisoner in my own home?" I asked.

"Not at all," he shrugged. "You're free to leave…if you can get past Maddox, that is. Our little chat is not over yet, Miranda; I always get what I want." He turned on his heel and left, slamming the door shut on his way out.

* * *

**Klaus' POV**

_"Do you remember ever having friends?" Miranda asked softly._

_ "Are you asking because you genuinely want to know me better," I began turning my head to face her. "Or because you want to know if I was always a cold-hearted bastard." We had been lying in the grass of the front lawn in silence for a half hour as we watched puffy white clouds float across the perfectly blue sky. Miranda had suggested this, arguing that she was now sick of playing the same games and reading the same books over and over again in the past year since she joined Elijah and I._

_ Slowly but surely, she was becoming more social, especially when she was with either Elijah or myself; I thought about the day that she would be totally off guard…the day I could use her to kill anyone and everyone I saw fit. I frowned inwardly; why did I feel as if I would be doing something terrible to her then?_

_ I waited in silence for Miranda's answer and then I smirked, turning back to look up at the sky. "Alright then," I chuckled. "Cold-hearted bastard it is."_

_ "Why do you put words in my mouth?" she asked._

"_Because it's fun."_

"_I can't ask you a simple question without being mocked?"_

_ "No."_

_ "I hate you," she laughed._

_ "Almost as much as I hate you." Miranda sat up and leaned over me to stare right into my eyes._

_ "Can you just answer the question?" she asked in an annoyed tone._

_ "Fine," I sighed. "No need to get fussy."_

_ "Thank you," she said, going back to lying down on the grass._

_ "I had friends…once upon a time," I told her truthfully. "I preferred the company of my family, though. Doesn't matter now though, I suppose…they're all dead."_

_ "Friends or family?" she asked._

_ "Both…save for Elijah, who technically counts as a friend as well as my brother." I shrugged. "What about you? Did you have any friends before you slaughtered everyone in a 2-mile radius?"_

_ "That's it, I'm going to find Elijah," she huffed. She was about to get up, but I grabbed her wrist to stop her._

_ "Don't do that," I said. "You know I was only joking." She shot me a look of doubt. "Just a little bit."_

_ "Alright, but next time I'm not going to be so forgiving."_

_ "I'm shaking."_

_ "Stop it," she scolded. I watched as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I don't remember much; it's almost as if every day, a little more of my old life drifts further and further away. I vaguely remember I had friends when I was very young; we played at the beach and watched the traders sell their wares in the marketplace. I think now I have no friends besides Elijah, because—as you put it—they're all dead."_

_ "Elijah's dead."_

_ "Technically."_

_ "I'm dead," I said after a few beats of silence. I took her hand gently and laced our fingers together; she turned her head and looked over at me._

_ "You…" she began, but I cut her off._

_ "You consider me a friend, don't you Miranda?" I asked._

_ "Yes," she nodded._

_ "Good," I smiled and squeezed her hand. "I consider you a friend as well."_

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I was in the library pouring myself a glass of scotch when Stefan walked in, talking to Jenna on the phone.

"Jenna, listen to me carefully." He said. "Whatever you do, do not meet Alaric at the grill; I'm going to come over right now and I'll explain everything." He hung up the phone and looked over at me.

"Trouble?" I asked, still ticked off that Stefan wasn't going to let me look for Miranda.

"Yeah," he sighed in frustration. "There's a little problem that needs to be taken care of."

"Well, I'd love to lend you a hand, but you told me to back off," I replied.

"It's seriously going to be like this?" he asked.

"Hey, you and Elena are calling the shots. I'm just following orders, Stefan." He stared at me for a few minutes before he turned and left. I waited until I heard the front door close before getting my phone out of my pocket. I looked through the list of contacts before getting to the one I needed and pressed "call".

"Andie Star," Andie answered.

"Hi Andie, it's Damon."

"Oh, hey," she said cheerily. "How are you?"

"Save it," I snapped. "I need some help."

"With what?" she asked.

"I have a little problem and I was wondering…" There was a moment of silence. "How would you like to do a little…sleuthing?"

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"Are you honestly going to stand there all day and just watch me?" I asked, looking up at Maddox. "I feel as if I'm going to spontaneously combust at any second."

"I can make that happen," he replied with a smirk. I stared at him for a second before looking back at the magazine I had been reading, and shook my head.

"You act like I tough guy, but I know that something's really bugging you inside," I told him.

"Oh really?" he asked.

"You're left thumb has been twitching every minute and a half at 3-second intervals for the past 15 minutes," I said. "I'm guessing that you either have some sort of medical problem or that you thought of a really good question and you're just too afraid to ask it."

"How did you—"

"I'm really good at noticing the small details," I smirked. I picked up the blood bag I used to hit Klaus with and continued to drink from it, as I had been doing since he left.

"I liked you better when you were screaming in agony," Maddox grumbled.

"I'm sure you say that to all the girls," I mocked him. "You really ought to sit down; the stick-up-your-ass pose you've got going on doesn't look too comfortable." I motioned to the settee under the window.

"You know you're a little bitch, right?" he asked, moving to take a seat.

"Only to people I don't like," I informed him. "You're moving up the list pretty quickly…so it's only going to get worse."

"Joy," he said sarcastically.

"Now," I tossed my magazine away and turned the chair I was in to face him. "You have a question for me?"

**A/N: I'm BACK! Vacation was…relaxing and exhausting at the same time and I'd like to thank you for your patience while I was away. I can't really believe I didn't think about Miranda or Damon or this story for two weeks, but it definitely got me back on the creative track for this and the prequel that is really overdue for an update. *sigh* I'll get to it sometime…**

**Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter. Reviews are always appreciated. (More reviews = quicker updates…so REVIEW! I've been gone for 2-3 weeks; let me know what you thought about the chapter you waited so long for!) *smiles deviously***

**Until next time…**


	50. The Moment It Fell Apart

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

"What does he want with you?" Maddox asked.

"If he hasn't told you _that_," I began. "Then you aren't really his right-hand man, are you?" I smirked inside when I saw the frown pass over his face.

"Klaus is entitled to keep things to himself," he tried reasoning.

"If he wanted you to babysit me, the least he could've done was tell you who I am," I replied.

"Well who are you, then?" I laughed at him, trying to push the painful sadness that burst in my chest.

"I don't think _I_ even know."

* * *

_**England, 1492**_

_ "Miranda." I ignored it, and the loud knock that followed soon after. "Miranda, you will unlock this door."_

_ "No thank you," I replied._

_ "There are people downstairs, and it isn't polite to keep them waiting. I'll give you to the count of three." I rolled my eyes and turned the page in the book I was reading. "One…two…this is your last chance."_

_ "Knock the door down," I said seriously. "I don't really care." I winced as I heard the terrible sound of bending metal, and after a few seconds the door burst open, revealing a calm-looking Elijah._

_ "You aren't even dressed properly yet," he scolded, motioning toward the red dress I had been wearing since the morning._

_ "I'm not going," I told him._

_ "Yes you are."_

_ "No I'm not…_father_."I replied indignantly, knowing full well that he hated when I used the word when talking to him._

_ "What would Klaus think if you weren't at his party?"He walked over to my bed and sat down on the edge._

_ "I don't care. It isn't because of him that I don't want to go…" I sighed. "When it's just us I can be myself; I hate having to pretend for the sake of nosy, judgmental humans."_

_ "I thought you liked the little story I made for you," Elijah asked with a smirk._

_ "You know what you did, Elijah," I replied, resting my head on my hands as I looked over at him. "How can I act like I have lost the love of my life if there's no such thing as love?"_

_ "You love me, don't you?"_

_ "You're one of my best friends," I told him. "The closest thing I have left to family. Of course I do. The love I have for you is different from the love that I'm talking about."_

_ "When did you become so cynical?"he asked._

_ "The day I met you," I teased._

_ "You were just a child," he laughed._

_ "You, Elijah, are a terrible influence," I smirked. "I'll get ready for the party…as long as I get to leave if it gets to be overwhelmingly boring."_

_ "Miranda," he began in a warning tone._

_ "Elijah," I replied with a pout. He closed his eyes and shook his head with a sigh._

_ "Fine."I jumped up and wrapped him in the biggest hug I ever gave._

_ "Thank you for understanding," I said quietly, smiling as I felt him return the hug._

_ "Always."_

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I quickly climbed the stairs leading to Alaric's floor; although I never had been inside the apartment building before, it wasn't difficult to find out where everyone's favorite teacher lived…with a little help from Mystic Falls' star reporter.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Andie said cautiously as she followed me.

"We're investigative journalists," I reasoned. "We're investigating." I walked some ways down a hall and found a door with a shining metal 9 on it. I motioned for Andie to have the honors and she reluctantly knocked on the door.

"Hey Alaric, you home?" she called inside when there was no answer. "It's Andie…Star. Jenna's friend?" She sighed and looked at me with a shrug. I rolled my eyes and reached for the doorknob, twisting it with little effort before I felt the lock break, and Andie pushed it open.

"Thank God," Katherine exclaimed when she saw us. Wrong vampire-girl; just my luck today, right? I was looking for my undead girlfriend and I found my undead bitch of an ex.

"Wow," Andie sighed when she saw Katherine. "You were right; she looks just like Elena."

"Yep," I replied with indifference. I looked at Katherine. "Thought you might be dead."

"Unfortunately not," she replied. "What are you doing here?"

"We're here to rescue you," Andie said with a smile.

"Aw, I didn't know you cared," Katherine replied.

"I don't." I snapped. "And we're not."

"Why are you here then?" she asked.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

_I stared into the large fireplace, listening to the crackling of the fire as it blended in with the quiet chatter that floated throughout the hall. I looked down at the cup of wine I held, swirling it around curiously; the smell of all the food was sickening, but the wine was making it somewhat better._

_ "Lady Miranda?" I became alert at the sound of my name and I turned around. I found a vampire and a girl that smelled extremely human standing before me; I recognized the vampire as one of Elijah's acquaintances: Trevor, if my memory was correct. "Please forgive our interruption."_

_ "Nonsense," I shook my head and forced a smile onto my face. "I was just stuck in my thoughts; you're my hero." Trevor smiled and then took the arm of his human companion and pulled her forward._

_ "I wanted to introduce you to Katerina," he said._

_ "A friend of yours?" I asked. Katerina smiled shyly as I looked at her._

_ "Yes," he nodded bashfully. He turned to her and motioned towards me. "Katerina, this is the lady Miranda. She's…the cousin of our gracious host."_

_ "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Miranda," Katerina said shyly as she curtsied._

_ "Miranda," Trevor said, gaining my attention once again. "I was wondering if…Elijah was here. I wish to speak with him."_

_ "Of course," I nodded and glanced around the room for my sire. "He's around here…somewhere. Probably talking with some of the town merchants, I'm sure; as much of a bore as he is at times, I'm sure even he wishes to escape their presence." A small smile made its way onto Trevor's previously somber face._

_ "I will go find him then," he said. "Come along then, Katerina—"_

_ "You can leave her with me," I stopped him. I looked over at Katerina and smiled kindly. "I won't bite." Trevor's eyes quickly darted between the two of us, and a pensive look crossed his face, as if he were trying to see if she would really be safe in my company._

_ "Yes, of course," he nodded. "I'll be back shortly." He bowed slightly and then went off to find Elijah. There was something about this girl that I could relate to. I could tell that she wasn't from here because of the way she acted; it was as if she thought the world would shatter around her if she made one wrong move, or touched something she wasn't supposed to. I behaved very similarly whenever Klaus announced that we were going to be leaving for a new place. _

_ I looked down at the ground for a few seconds and then back to Katerina, all the while playing with my necklace nervously; if she was anything like me, all she needed was someone to get along with—someone familiar—and it would feel like home._

_ "So, Katerina," I began. "Have you ever played Blind Man's Bluff?"_

* * *

I watched as Maddox walked back into the room with a can of Sprite in one hand, his cell phone in the other.

"Are you seriously going to just make yourself at home?" I asked. He sat back down on the couch and shrugged.

"Your story's long," he replied. "I got thirsty."

"Can't you just conjure up a glass of water?" I asked in annoyance.

"Doesn't work that way." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small blue pamphlet. "I was thinking Italian for lunch. Want anything?"

"You are the worst guard dog ever." I told him.

"Klaus said to make sure you didn't go anywhere," he said. "I need my energy."

"Why didn't you just raid my fridge?" I asked.

"You didn't have any mustard."

"For the love of God," I exclaimed.

* * *

_We ended up standing in front of the fireplace for what seemed like hours, talking and laughing; I had only just met Katerina, but I immediately knew that we would be great friends because of the vast amount of interests we had in common._

_ I was in the middle of telling her about a story I heard from a woman at a shop in town, when someone cleared their throat behind us._

_ "Excuse me?" Trevor said. "I hate to interrupt…" We turned around and I saw that Trevor was standing there with a shock-stricken Elijah._

_ "Hello," Katerina greeted him with a smile. There was nothing but silence for a few moments as Elijah and Katerina just stared at each other._

_ "It isn't polite to stare, cousin," I said to Elijah, keeping up the pretenses he had come up with. He seemed to break from the trance he had been stuck in and shook his head._

_ "Forgive me," he said. "You just…remind me of someone."_

_ "Katerina," Trevor began. "May I introduce the lord Elijah." The timid behavior she had when she met me had returned, almost as if she was afraid, and she curtsied once again._

_ "Pleasure, my lord," she said. Elijah, in return, took her hand and pressed it to his lips._

"_The pleasure is all mine…Katerina," he said, saying her name slowly and smoothly. My sire; ever the gentlemen. I sent him a questioning look, but he just returned it with an unreadable glare. I should have taken it as the first warning; I didn't._

_"So where is this mysterious host?" Katerina asked, anxiously glancing around the crowded room._

_ "Fashionably late," Elijah replied._

_ "As always," I added as I rolled my eyes, not at all guilty about mocking my best friend._

_ "He likes to make an entrance," Elijah explained when Katerina became confused. He looked back around, standing as tall as he could—which was already quite tall since he towered over me—to look over the heads of the humans. "Ah, here he is."_

_ I looked over my shoulder and found the crowd parting and bowing respectfully as Klaus made his way toward us. I quickly glanced over at Katerina, and I almost felt fear and anxiety almost coming from her as Klaus stopped before us._

_ "Katerina," Elijah's voice cut through the tension that was growing in the air. "May I introduce to you the lord Niklaus." Although Klaus' face was stony and blank, I noticed the calculating look behind his eyes as he took my new friends hand and kissed it. His eyes quickly darted towards me, and I noticed a hint of a smirk playing on his lips, which could only mean one thing: he was planning something._

_ As Elijah, Klaus and Katerina made conversation, my mind wandered slightly. I thought about the sweet lies my mother told me when I was a child to protect me and the way Elijah protected me from the truth of his life as I grew older; my thoughts drifted back to only a few short days earlier, where there was a fuzzy darkness shrouded a few hours of the afternoon. I always wondered why there were blank spots throughout the course of my life, but they never bothered me…until recently._

_ Secrets. It reminded me of the way my father deceived me so he could "repel" the demons he thought I was luring into the town. The more I thought of it, the more I realized that my life was shrouded and surrounded by a blanket of secrets; it hurt to know that the people that I trusted the most didn't trust _me_ enough, and found that it was easier to compel me and make the delicate knowledge I had go away._

_ "…and I see my dear cousin has offered you her friendship already," Klaus' chuckle broke me from my trance. "Our little social butterfly." _

_ "Have I recently told you how much I hate you?" I asked him._

_ "Miranda doesn't enjoy being teased," Elijah explained to Katerina._

_ "I don't think I would enjoy it very much either," she replied._

_ "That means you two should be nicer to me," I laughed, pointing a warning finger at my sire and his brother. Klaus simply stared at me, the smile fading slightly as the calculating gaze returned to his eyes; what I wouldn't give to know what he was thinking._

_ "Elijah would you and Miranda mind if I could have a moment alone with Katerina?" he asked, quickly turning to Elijah last second._

_ "Not at all," Elijah answered for me. "Happy Birthday, brother." A took a step forward and kissed Klaus on the cheek._

_ "Happy Birthday," I whispered. I looked over at Katerina and smirked. "Don't talk her ear off, please."_

_ "I wouldn't dream of it," he replied. I backed away and took the arm Elijah offered me, and we made our way away from the pair._

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"I need some help," I reluctantly replied.

"Oh really," Katherine asked, looking intrigued. "What with?"

"Ah, ah, ah," I laughed. "Not until you promise that you'll help me; there might be something in it for you if you do."

"Like what?" I reached into my jacket and produced a small vial of liquid; Katherine's eyes went wide. "Is that…"

"Yep," I nodded. "Vervain. Your salvation…if you promise to help."

"It isn't going to do anything to help me get out of here," she protested.

"There's always a loophole," I shrugged. "Did Klaus say that you had to stay in this apartment until it was ok to leave?" Katherine began to answer, but was immediately silenced. "Ah, you can't say. Did he tell you to do absolutely everything he says until the end of time?"

"No."

"There's your loophole," I replied. "If you drink this, you'll be protected from any further compulsion." She walked forward and reached for the vial, but I pulled it out of her reach.

"Give it to me," she demanded.

"Not so fast," I said. "You have to promise that you'll answer one question first."

"About?"

"Promise."

"Fine," she reluctantly accepted. "Now give it to me." I tossed it and after a momentary fumble, she unscrewed the tiny cap and swallowed the contents, gasping slightly at the burning sensation I was all too familiar with.

"Now, I want to know where Miranda is," I said.

"What are you talking about?" Katherine asked, looking at me as if I had grown another head.

"You know what I'm talking about," I snapped. "You've been giving Big-Bag Klaus information for days; he must've told you something."

"If you didn't notice, I'm not exactly on his BFF's list," she said haughtily.

"Klaus took Miranda," I finally said. "Do you know where he might have taken her?"

"Well she isn't here," Katherine deadpanned.

"I can see that. Is there anywhere else he might have mentioned that he was going today?" I asked in annoyance.

"Nope," she shrugged, falling onto the couch and crossing her legs. "Sorry." I growled in frustration.

"You've been absolutely no help at all; I knew I should've have given you the vervain." I turned around and looked at Andie. "We're leaving." Andie nodded and walked over to the door.

As Andie was about to close it behind her, I heard Katherine call out after us.

"Oh Damon?"

"What do you want?" I asked.

"I hope he kills her." Katherine said, a sick smile on her face. I could feel the anger clench at my heart, and I turned on my heel and walked away. "Because as much as I want to see Klaus dead, nothing would make me happier than to know that all the light drained from Miranda's pretty little eyes as she died slowly and painfully."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

_"Why don't they talk to you?" Katerina asked as we headed back toward the manor after a shopping trip in town, our arms linked together as we walked._

_ "They do not wish to see me cry," I replied simply. I knew that this day would come eventually; the day where I would have to tell her the lies Elijah conjured up so I could have a place here without it being odd; I had hoped to avoid it all together. Over the course of the past two weeks, we had become very close; I think the only people closer to me than she was were Elijah and Klaus. We had spent time playing games and reading books; I helped her with some English words and phrases she was unfamiliar with, and in return, she began teaching me simple phrases in Bulgarian._

_ "And why would you cry?"she frowned. _

_ "Because the only thing they can think to say to me is to offer their sympathy," I told her, causing her frown to deepen. I sighed._

_ "I was betrothed to be married to the love of my life," I said, the words I had said hundreds of times coming to my lips easily. "Lucas, his name was; he was very handsome and I had known him since we were both small children. I could easily say that he was my closest and dearest friend."_

_ "Oh, how sweet," she smiled._

_ "He died two years ago," I replied, forcing my eyes to water. "I fell into such a deep depression that my parents had no choice but to send me here to live with my cousins, who I had always been close to. Little by little it's getting better…but the people in town know better than to bring it up."_

_ "I'm so sorry," Katerina immediately apologized. "Why did I have to open my mouth?"_

_ "You didn't know," I smiled kindly. "It's alright."_

_ "You're only a few years older that I am," she shook her head. "I don't know what I would do if I suffered that kind of loss." She got a far-off, forlorn look in her eyes for a few moments before she smiled sadly._

_ "Let's not think about bad things anymore," I tried to change the subject. "Let's talk about you and my cousin."_

_ "What is there to talk about?" she asked, obviously hoping I hadn't seen her blushing._

_ "I see the way you act around him," I replied. "I'm not dense. You seem quite smitten with him."_

_ "I don't think that I could possibly have any sort of relationship," she said in a slightly put-down manner, shocking me._

_ "Elijah?" I asked._

_ "Uh…who were _you_ talking about?" Katerina asked, wide-eyed in shock._

_ "Klaus." I answered simply. "But now that you mention it, you two _have _been spending quite a bit of time together."_

"_He says that there is no such thing as love," she sighs. "And then there is Klaus, who has taken an interest in me from the beginning, and I find him so...intriguing, despite the fact that we barely spend any time together. They're brothers; I would hate if a hole was made in their relationship just because of me."_

* * *

"Alright," I sighed, suddenly sick of my memories. I wanted to burn my mind so I could make them go away; I was filled with hate and sadness and confusion, and I knew that it wasn't a good thing. "Enough with story time; I'm going to go and take a shower and change my clothes." I stood up and walked towards the door, only to be blocked.

"I can't let you out of my sight," Maddox replied.

"Seriously, dude?" I asked. "I slept in these clothes, I had a long night last night and today isn't so peachy either. I'm going across the hall to my bathroom, ok? How much trouble can I cause?"

"Fine," he relented. I smiled triumphantly and lightly pushed him out of my way. I walked into my bedroom, smirking when I noticed him following me. I stopped and looked at him when I reached the bathroom door.

"You can go," I told him.

"Go where?"

"To hell, preferably," I replied. "But since that isn't going to happen, you can wait by the bedroom door and make sure I don't try anything funny. Will that make you feel better?" I could tell that I was getting on the guy's nerves as he let out a strangled sigh and stood like a bodyguard across the room by the door.

_Sucker,_ I thought as I walked into the bathroom. I immediately turned the shower on and waited a few minutes before making my move. I slowly opened the bathroom door, making sure there wasn't any noise, before rushing into the bedroom, right behind Maddox. I lightly tapped him on the shoulder then rushed into the hallway in front of him as he turned to see what was going on.

As he turned back to face me, I grabbed his head with both of my hands and slammed it into the wall; Maddox fell to the ground, out like a light.

"Payback hurts like a bitch," I said. "Doesn't it?" I immediately left for the boarding house, hoping to get away from this mess as quickly as possible.

**A/N: Happy November everyone. OH MY GOD! I made you wait until November? Sorry for the wait, but I've been busy, busy, busy! I got the flu and have been studying non-stop because of all the homework I missed on vacation (I've barely been getting enough sleep—which is bad, I know) and because I've been focusing my skills for my practice ACT test (I TOOK IT THIS MORNING! Longest 4 hours of my life!) **

**Anyways, enough with the Caps Lock exclamations; I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry if it was lame and lacked present-day grammar skills, but like I said up there, I've been really into school stuff. I will update with the next chapter on Saturday; I would have written more, but my brain is exhausted. Until then…I'll probably be sleeping. ****Reviews are always appreciated, and every reviewer-is that even a word? It sounds weird in my head...but then again so does the word "door"-gets a free hug from me.**


	51. All Wounds Bleed the Same Way

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

I walked out of my house and frowned when I remembered that my car was back at the boarding house. I started my long walk down the street, not wanting to waste my already depleted energy on running. As I passed Elena's house, something in the window caught my eye and my breath hitched; Alaric…Klaus…was inside with Jenna…and Stefan? I could see them talking, and wished with every fiber of my being that he wouldn't look out the window and see me.

I turned and forced my legs to keep going; I needed to get as far away from him as I could.

_"There you are," Klaus exclaimed, jumping onto my bed as he took the book from my hands. I jumped, somewhat shocked and frightened by his sudden appearance. "I've been looking all over for you."_

_ "Have you no manners?" I asked, frowning at him._

_ "Whatever do you mean?"_

_ "Perhaps you could learn to knock." I pointed to the door. "I was busy with my new book, and I would appreciate it if you would just leave me alone."_

_ "Elijah has you reading far too much," Klaus said, taking the book from my hands. "If you don't stop soon you'll end up like him."_

_ "I happen to like reading," I replied, reaching out to take the book back. "Besides, what's so bad about being like Elijah?" Klaus sat up and leaned closer to me._

_ "He's boring," he whispered, and then tapped my nose with a finger, smiling all the while. "You know that you have much more fun with me." I failed to keep my smile at bay, and Klaus began laughing as he backed away from me and lounged casually on my bed, his arms resting behind his head; I was about to make a witty remark when a quick flash of a memory passed through my mind, and it took all my power to suppress the small shiver that went down my spine._

_ Eyes, Klaus' eyes, staring into mine; there was fear, and then…confusion. I closed my eyes and tried to remember what I had been afraid of, but I just couldn't. I suddenly got a sick feeling in my stomach, something that made me want to get as far away from him as I possibly could. He had compelled me…but he was my best friend; what was it that Klaus had made me forget and why did he do it?_

_ I took a deep breath and backed up as far as I could from him, leaning against the massive pile of soft pillows that had accumulated on my bed; my eyes darted back down to my book, but I just couldn't focus on the words that were on the page anymore._

_"Shouldn't you be spending time with your new little toy?" I asked, trying to keep the anger out of my voice. I quickly looked up at Klaus as he turned on his side so he could face me._

_ "I thought you and Katerina were friends," he said with a frown._

_ "Yes," I nodded, my eyes shifting back down to my book. "We are."_

_ "So, why the hostility?" he asked._

_ "No reason," I shrugged._

_ "I know when you're lying, Miranda," he said accusatorily. "What's bothering you?" I looked up at him, slamming my book shut._

_ "You are," I told him._

_ "Me?" he asked with a smile. "What have I done?"_

_ "I know you're planning something, Klaus." I replied. "Something that will end in Katerina's death. As much as I like having a new friend, I don't think I should get too attached if you're planning on killing her." He sat up and looked me in the eye for what seemed like hours; it felt like he was searching me. For what, I don't know, but I knew he was looking for something. Eventually, a slow smirk made its way onto his lips._

_ "Smart girl," he whispered. "I can't hide anything from you, can I?" I bit my lip to keep myself from saying anything more, and I looked away, focusing on the sunny, blue sky outside my window._

_ "What if I said that I have a surprise for you?" Klaus asked, and I looked at him, frowning in curiosity._

_ "What kind of surprise?" I asked in return, tilting my head slightly._

_ "Ah, that defeats the purpose of a surprise, now doesn't it?" he chuckled._

_ "I suppose," I nodded slowly. "But couldn't I have a little hint?"_

_ "That would spoil it, I'm afraid," he replied. Klaus got up and then bent down to press a soft kiss to my forehead. "Think of it as a game; if you can be patient, I promise that it will be absolutely…magical." He walked out of my room, closing the door behind him, and left me to wonder just what exactly he was talking about._

The sky slowly got darker and darker as the day ended and night creeped to claim its place. I needed blood, and as much as the passersby tempted me, I knew I could wait until I got to the boarding house to sit and drink as much blood as I wanted.

I don't know how many buildings I had passed before I couldn't go any further; I remember seeing the soft glow of the lights up the driveway, and then I heard his panicked voice call out my name.

"Miranda!" And then there was darkness…and pain.

* * *

**Klaus' POV**

I walked back into Miranda's house, rubbing the back of the pathetic human's head. I was sick of this body, and I needed to know how much longer it would be until Greta and the others arrived with my own. The sooner they got here, the less anxious I would be about the approaching full moon.

"Honey, I'm home," I called teasingly as I walked up the stairs to the room I had left Miranda and Maddox in. I opened the door and found it empty; I heard a groan from behind me and turned around.

Across the hall was Maddox, picking himself up from the floor weakly. I walked up to him and picked him up, slamming him into the wall.

"Where is she?" I asked.

"She knocked me out," he replied. "I'm sure she left. She's craftier than I thought she would be."

"What the hell are you even doing over here?" I yelled into his face. "You were supposed to keep Miranda in that room and make sure she didn't try to leave. What were you thinking?" I pushed him away from me in anger, sending him stumbling backwards into the room.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, fear in his voice. "I just underestimated her. I could've done better; I should've." I growled in frustration, and then sighed; as much as I wanted to, I couldn't kill him because of his stupid mistakes just yet.

"Come on Maddox," I said. "We have things to attend to." My plans had been screwed up once; I wasn't going to be that stupid this time.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I felt something cold against my lips, and then my mouth was filled with a thick, warm substance. When I recognized the foul taste, I opened my eyes and quickly sat up, spitting it out.

"Carol Lockwood isn't going to be too happy that you got blood on her furniture," Elijah's voice rang in my ears. I slumped back against the pillow he had propped behind me and glared at him.

"You gave me animal's blood," I said, my voice tired. "You know how much I hate that stuff."

"You should drink it anyways," he said, holding the glass out to me and after a few moments of contemplation, I took it. "You're lucky I saw you stumbling around outside before anyone else did. I've been worried about you, you know."

"Psh," I scoffed after choking down some of the horrific rabbit's blood. "Yeah right."

"It's true, Miranda," he said sitting down on the edge of the couch, right next to me. He gently pushing my hair out of my eye like he had done a million times before; I looked into his eyes and nodded, knowing the truth; tears burned my eyes and I sat up and hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"For what?" he asked, amusement and curiosity in his voice.

"I don't know," I shook my head, and he chuckled. "You don't know how much I missed you over the years, how many times I wanted to find you just because you were the only thing that made me feel…like myself."

There was a loud slam and I pulled out of Elijah's arms, looking up to see a frantic Elena skid to a halt in the hallway.

"Elena," I said, happy to see another familiar face.

"Miranda!" she exclaimed in surprise and relief. I quickly got up and rushed across the room, hugging the doppelganger tightly. "Are you ok? What happened? Did Klaus hurt you?"

"I'm fine," I told her. "I'll be fine."

"I was so worried," Elena sighed. "First Klaus took you, and then the whole ordeal with Jenna."

"Is Jenna alright?" I frowned. "I saw her and Stefan as I was walking, but I couldn't go in. What happened?"

"She kinda knows now," she replied, her eyes tearing up. "About vampires and werewolves. Everything."

"What?" I asked. "Is she ok?"

"She's…processing."

"Why are you here then? You should be with her."

"I had to come back," Elena said, pointing to Elijah. "I had to prove that he could trust me." I rolled my eyes and sighed; of course.

"And you have," Elijah replied, an impressed tone in his voice. "Welcome back."

"Now, you have to tell me the truth," Elena demanded. "About Klaus' curse."

Hold the phone.

"What?" I asked in confusion; Elijah looked at me guiltily and apologetically.

"I'm afraid I haven't been entirely truthful to you, Miranda," he replied.

"Of course you haven't," I shrugged. "Lies, secrets, deceit; story of my life."

_ "You're not going to leave this room until morning," Elijah said as he stormed into my bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him._

_ "Why?" I asked, looking up from my book. Elijah quickly walked across the room and pulled the thick drapes over my windows, preventing me from seeing anything outside. "What has happened?"_

_ "It is none of your concern," he replied. I frowned and rushed across the room, standing in front of him with my hands on my hips._

_ "What is that supposed to mean?" I asked angrily. Elijah sighed and placed his hands on my shoulders gently._

_ "Promise me you won't leave," he said._

_ "Not until you tell me what is going on!" I demanded._

_ "Miranda I don't have time for this right now," he told me. "I need to leave. I will be back in the morning and I will explain everything to you."_

_ "But why do I have to stay in here?" I asked. "Can't I go and see Katerina; she's _my friend_ you know." A dark look passed over Elijah's face, and a thought popped into my head. "Something has happened to Katerina, hasn't it?"_

_ "No," he sighed. "She has run away, and I need to go out and find her. _Tonight._"_

_ "But why?" I could tell Elijah was getting frustrated, but everything inside me wanted to know the truth. He sighed and lifted a hand from my shoulder to cup my cheek._

_ "Miranda," his said, his voice so trance-like. So…hypnotizing. "You will not step foot outside of this room until I return in the morning, and then I will tell you everything. I promise."_

_ "I won't leave," I nodded. There wasn't anything interesting outside the walls of my room, was there?_

_ "Promise me," he insisted._

_ "I promise." He smiled a small, sad smile and kissed my forehead before quickly leaving. I sighed and went to sit in one of the comfy red chairs in front of the fireplace; what had just happened?_

* * *

**Elena's POV**

Miranda and I sat silently in my car; we had left the Lockwood mansion some time ago, and now we were waiting outside of the Martin warlocks' apartment building as Elijah went to retrieve some things from inside. I occasionally looked over at Miranda, who was in the passenger's seat, dead silent—I don't even think she was breathing—and had a blank look in her eyes.

"Are you ok?" I asked. I knew she wasn't; Elijah had told her everything he told me today. Everything about the Sun and Moon Curse, about Klaus being a hybrid, and about the curse placed on him; she seemed to take it well, until we got into the car.

"Yeah," she muttered. "Just…trying to fill in the blanks."

"What do you mean?" I turned in my seat.

"You know that Originals can compel vampires," she shrugged. "There are some blanks in my memory that I can't explain, and I'm just trying to see if what I learned in the last hour fits anywhere."

"Any luck?"

"No," she sighed. "Everything Klaus and Elijah compelled me to forget doesn't come close to the amount of things they purposefully kept a secret."

"Oh," I looked down. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," she replied. The silence returned, but only for a short time as a thought bothered me, wanting to get out. I wanted to know the truth, and there was still something missing.

"Why did you leave?" I asked, and Miranda's gaze quickly shot back to me. "Elijah said that you had been with him and Klaus for almost 300 years. I'm guessing you left after that, but what made you leave?"

"Can you guess?" she asked.

"Klaus?" Miranda nodded and sighed.

"He and Elijah were two people I thought I could trust for the rest of my life, but I was wrong."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

_There was a gentle knock on my door, waking me from the light sleep I had fallen into while staring into the fireplace. I took a deep breath and sat up straight as the door creaked open; I looked around my chair to find a very…conflicted Klaus walk in._

_ I had heard his muffled voice echo through the manor all night, along with rushed footsteps and hushed conversations; I didn't know what was going on, but I doubted it had to do with Katerina running away. Did it? She was a guest here, and could leave whenever she wanted…couldn't she? Klaus was going to kill her, I knew that much, but if she ran away, he could always find another girl in her place; why was she so special?_

_ "You're still awake?" Klaus asked._

_ "Barely," I replied, smiling. He laughed, but I could tell that there was something bothering him. He slowly made his way across the room, standing behind the other chair next to me, his hands on the back as he looked into the fire._

_ "Can I ask a favor of you?" he asked, sitting down._

_ "Anything," I replied. He looked at me pensively for a second, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, then he sighed and sat back, relaxing against the plush chair._

_ "Tell me about your mother," he whispered._

_ "My mother?" I laughed. "_That_ is the favor you want. Why?"_

_ "You never talk about your family," he said, closing his eyes. "I'm curious. What was she like?"_

_ "Um, well," I began, frowning as I tried to remember her. "She was always worried about me; every time I came home from playing with my friends when I was a small child, she would hold me and tell me how she thought I was hurt. Of course, when I did come home with a bruise or a scrape, I could tell she was sad that she couldn't protect me."_

_ "Do you miss her?" Klaus asked._

_ "Every day," I sighed. "I think she would be ashamed of me…of what I am…of what I did."_

_ "What did she look like?"_

_ "Nothing like me," I laughed, and then a flash of her face, covered in blood. I quickly put my hands to my face and covered my eyes, hoping the image would fade away. "I don't want to talk about her anymore."_

_ "Why?"_

_ "I have my own reasons," I almost screamed, my voice echoing against the walls of my room. I looked at him and found a surprise expression on his face. I quickly got up and walked away from him in shame. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "I shouldn't have snapped at you."_

_ "It's alright Miranda," Klaus' voice was close now, and I felt him embrace me; I turned around and hugged him tightly, focusing on his voice as he repeated the words over and over again._

_ "Have you talked to Katerina today?" he asked, the anger held back in his voice. I shook my head and looked up at him._

_ "Elijah told me she ran away," I told him._

_ "When did he tell you," Klaus asked, frowning._

_ "About an hour ago," I replied. Klaus gently pushed me away, keeping his hands on my shoulders. Suddenly his lips were pressed against mine, hands softly cupping my face; I pushed him away from me in confusion. I backed away from him, trying to figure out why he would kiss me. Although it wasn't unpleasant, Klaus was my best friend and I would never think of him in such a way._

_ A dark look of determination crossed his face and he muttered something that vaguely sounded like "have to break her." I blinked and he was gone, a sound of twisting metal filled my ears; Klaus was before me again, pushing a broken candlestick into my chest, which quickly took my breath away. Tears filled my eyes as he let me fall to the ground, and I could see his boots pacing in front of me._

_ "How long has it been since you've felt pain, Miranda?" Klaus didn't sound like himself; he sounded bitter and dark and…evil. "Since you've felt betrayal?" He picked me up easily and ripped the candlestick from my chest before tossing me back onto the floor as if I was a ragdoll; in a flash he was looming over me, biting savagely into my neck._

_ I shut my eyes tightly and tried to push him away, but my energy depleted with every mouthful of my blood he drank. "Stop it," I whimpered. "Please stop."_

_ "What do you feel?" he asked, his lips close to my ear. "Does it hurt?"_

_ "Yes." I nodded weakly, feeling my body slowly healing._

_ "Do you want me to feel the pain you are feeling?" he whispered._

_ "No." I gasped out loud as my back hit a wall, Klaus' hand gripped around my throat, choking me; I kicked at him to try and get loose._

_ "WHY NOT!" he yelled. "What will it take?"_

_ "Stop it," I managed, tears dripping down my cheeks. I could feel his grip loosen slowly, and as I was falling, he caught me; his arms felt cold, and I wanted nothing more than for him to go away._

_ "You were a monster Miranda," Klaus whispered into my ear as he carried me across the room. I could feel the warmth of the fireplace as he sat down on one of the armchairs, and Klaus pushed my hair away from my face, his hand lingering on my cheek. I looked up at him, trying to calm down; I didn't want him to see my tears. He hurt me; he wasn't going to see me cry. Not anymore._

_ "You couldn't stop, don't you remember? Don't you want to feel that rush of adrenaline again? Wouldn't you enjoy the feeling of someone's neck snapping underneath your fingers? Imagine the way their life leaves their eyes as you take it away from them."_

_ "No," I shook my head. "I can't do it."_

_ "Katerina betrayed me. She ran away. I need your help getting revenge."_

_ "I can't. I can't go back to that dark place," I told him. "I thought you would understand. I thought you were my friend."_

_ "I _am_ your friend, and I'm asking for your help," he looked into my eyes. I didn't see my friend there; I saw a stranger. "Won't you help me?" I pushed him away and rushed across the room, getting as far away from him as possible._

_ "No," I replied and pointed to the door. "Get out of my sight." Klaus sighed in irritation, but got up and walked towards the door._

_ "I'm very disappointed in you, Miranda," he said quickly as he left, slamming the door behind him._

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"You don't have to worry so much about Miranda, you know," Andie said, handing me a glass of scotch. The library seemed dull, the chair I was sitting in was uncomfortable, and it almost felt as if the air itself was choking me.

"Just go," I sighed. "Please."

"She's a big girl, Damon," she continued. "She can take care of herself." I grabbed Andie's wrist and pulled her down so we were eye to eye.

"Go. Now."

"Okay," she replied, pulling her hand out of my grasp.

"Tired of your little plaything already?" Stefan asked, approaching me slowly.

"Don't start with me, Stefan," I snapped, taking a drink. "She was only here to help me find Miranda."

"She's right, you know," Stefan replied. "Miranda can handle herself."

"You aren't worried about Elena because you know she'll be safe with Elijah," I shook my head. "I don't even know where Miranda is."

"I think you're forgetting that if we don't kill him, Elena's going to die."

"That's not my problem right now," I said, putting my glass down and getting up.

"Listen Damon," Stefan caught my arm as I tried to leave. "Do you really think that Klaus is going to let Miranda live?" I looked into my brother's eyes and pushed him away from me angrily.

"Does that mean I just give up on her?" I asked. "I love her too much to make another mistake. She needs me, and I need her; if she's dead, I'm dead too." I stormed away, ignoring Stefan as he called out to me. I passed Elena as she and Mr. Original Elijah walked down the hall towards the library.

"Damon?" Elena asked in surprise as I pushed past them to go to my room.

"Not in the mood!" I yelled.

I walked into my bedroom and slammed the door closed behind me. I don't know how long I stood by the fireplace, staring into the fire before the door open and close behind me; there was a soft set of footsteps and I rolled my eyes.

"Go away," I snapped, hoping Andie would get out before I did something I would regret. "I'm not in the mood for dealing with anyone right now."

"You see," an unexpectedly different voice said, shocking me. "I thought I would be wanted here. I could just go, you know." I turned around and saw Miranda, leaning against the door with her arms crossed over her chest.

"You're not here," I muttered breathlessly. "You can't possibly be here."

"I can assure you that I'm here and I'm very real," she replied. "Had to stop in the basement and grab a blood bag first, though; torture is rough, and drinking bunny blood just doesn't cut it."

I rushed across the room and took her in my arms, pressing my lips to hers; I was afraid I was just hallucinating, and that she would disappear at any moment. Miranda giggled as I picked her up and rushed across the room, gently settling her down on my bed as I continued to kiss her.

I ran my hands over her legs, her arms, her neck, and into her hair, comparing her to my memory to make sure she was real.

"I take it you missed me," she said, slightly out of breath as I trailed kisses down her jaw and began ravaging her neck.

"I looked everywhere for you," I whispered as I ran my lips against her soft skin. "I even went and made a deal with Katherine just to see if she knew where you were."

"Katherine's alive?" Miranda asked in surprise, pushing me back slightly.

"Yeah, but I don't care about her," I said, softly brushing my lips against hers again. "Where did Klaus keep you?"

"In my own house," she replied with a shrug. I stopped and moved so I was lying on the bed facing her.

"You're telling me that I looked almost _everywhere _in town, thinking that I would tear everything in Mystic Falls apart if I couldn't find you, and you were in your house. Why didn't I look there first?" I asked incredulously.

"Because you're stupid," she teased. I sighed as Miranda rested her head on my shoulder; I felt her fingers creep along my chest. Her fingers stopped at the nape of my neck and she began playing with my hair.

This was how life was supposed to be, and it would be like this…once Klaus was dead.

* * *

**Elijah's POV**

_The manor had been silent for weeks after Katerina had run away; Klaus was always brooding, glaring at me whenever I walked into the room. Miranda had been uncharacteristically silent too; she rarely made eye contact with anyone, never smiled, and stayed locked in her room as much as she could._

_ One rainy afternoon, Klaus and I were sitting in the library; I was listening to him as he ranted about catching Katerina and getting the moonstone back from her. As long as he had the moonstone, he could have hope that there might be another doppelganger, even if there were no Petrova's left alive to continue the bloodline. Although I knew my brother was angry at me, had threatened me, I stayed loyal to him; he was my brother, after all, and I promised to help him break the curse._

_ There was a loud bang and we both looked up to find a very gloomy Miranda standing in the doorway; her eyes were empty and there was a frown on her face. I noticed the heavy cloak she had on over her dress and the gloves on her hands and frowned._

_ "Well, if it isn't the magnificent disappearing Lady Miranda," Klaus teased with a smile on his face. I knew that something had happened between them while I was out looking for Katerina, but neither of them spoke a word about it. "What are you all dressed up for?"_

_ "I'm leaving," she said so softly that I could barely hear it._

_ "Go ahead," Klaus shrugged. "Have fun in town; don't kill too many villagers."_

_ "No," she said loudly. "I'm_ leaving_."_

_ "What?" I asked, frowning in confusion._

_ "And where, might I ask, are you going to go?" Klaus asked, crossing his arms over his chest._

_ "Anywhere," she replied. "So long as I'm far away from you." _

_ "You're not angry, are you?" Klaus asked, standing up._

_ "What did you do?" I looked at my brother, hoping for the best, but knowing that he had done something unforgivable. Did I really expect better from him._

_ "It was nothing, brother," Klaus shrugged. "A mere misunderstanding."_

_ "A misunderstanding?" Miranda exclaimed. "Asking me to talk about my mother so I would be vulnerable; that was a misunderstanding? Stabbing me in the chest; that was a misunderstanding? Ripping into my throat so you could drink my blood; that was a misunderstanding? Attempting to trick me into giving up my self control, to become a bloodthirsty murderous monster, just so you can get revenge; THAT WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING?"_ _ I could tell that she was trembling in anger and sadness, and I got up so I could try to calm her down._

_ "Stay away from me!" she shrieked as I got closer. She looked back at Klaus. "Did you really think I would just let it go?"_

_ "Miranda," Klaus began, but he was cut off._

_ "I don't want to hear it," she snapped. "I'm leaving."_

_ "You will stay when you are spoken to," Klaus said calmly but angrily._

_ "I _never_ wish to speak to you again," Miranda screamed at him, and then she looked to me. "Either of you. It's your fault...you've ruined my life, and it's ALL YOUR FAULT!"_

I walked down the hall towards the room I had been given to stay in, and I could hear laughter and chatter coming from Damon's room. She was happy with him, they loved each other very much, and she would never have found him if she hadn't left that day.

For almost 500 years, I lived with the regret of not protecting her as I had always promised to, and now I would make it up to her. Once Klaus was dead, she wouldn't have to think of those terrible things ever again.

**A/N: Sorry again. I have **_**got**_** to stop making this a habit, but I really want to get caught up with all the work I've missed from being sick (guess what school has a mini epidemic of the flu. Yep. Half the students are home sick and the rest of us are at school…sick.) This will be the last time, I swear, especially since I have the whole week off next week for Thanksgiving. I'm going to get my write on, and hopefully write the all the chapters I need to finish season 2.**

**I know that some parts are a little…weird, but I was having some trouble with those parts. Reviews are always appreciated, especially if the total can get up to 250 (I only need 17 more. EEP! It's not going to happen unless you review!) Until next time…**


	52. Choices to Be Made

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

"Stop it."

"Why?"

"Because."

"That's not a valid answer." I sighed and rolled over, pulling the thick bedspread over me so I would stay warm. Damon was lying on his side, one hand propping his head up, the other tracing meaningless patterns on my bare skin; his hair was tousled wildly and a smile made its way onto my lips because he looked adorable and seductive at the same time.

"You enjoy waking me up early when I clearly want to stay asleep, don't you?" I whispered sleepily.

"What happened to you being an early riser?" he asked, resting a hand on my cheek and running his thumb over my lips. I sighed and lifted my hand to his, lacing our fingers together.

"I can't be an early riser when you keep me awake all night," I teased, moving closer to him, relishing at the pleasant ache that pulsed through my body.

"I didn't hear you complaining," he replied as his eyes locked with mine in a smoldering gaze.

"Stop it," I whispered as Damon leaned closer to me.

"What did I do now?" he whispered back, his gaze flickering to my mouth and back.

"You know," I accused.

"I don't have a clue." He said softly before claiming my lips with his.

"I don't know what I would do without you," I admitted as he reluctantly pulled away.

"Don't worry. I won't let that happen," he replied. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again."

"Sounds good," I said, squeezing his hand. I could hear small chatter and movement coming from the other side of the boarding house and I sighed, closing my eyes. "I think it's time to wake up."

"Why?" Damon groaned, pulling me closer to him so I wouldn't get up.

"We have things to do today," I groaned, mocking him as I pushed him away from me.

"_They_ do, _we_ don't. Can't I have one day to spend with you? Just the two of us?"

"We promised to help protect Elena," I reminded him. "It's our responsibility too."

"Fine," Damon relented. I was about to get up when I felt Damon's arms lock around my waist.

"Will you let me go?" I laughed.

"Why should I?" he asked.

"I need to take a shower and I don't have any clothes in your room."

"Have you forgotten that we have super-speed?" he whispered seductively into my ear.

"No," I shook my head. "I'm not running to my room in a towel. Don't even say anything about it either. Let me go."

"You enjoy ruining my day, don't you?" he asked as I got up and grabbed Damon's discarded shirt from the floor, quickly throwing it on.

"It happens to be my favorite pastime," I teased as I backed toward the bedroom door. I pointed a finger at him and smiled. "Now get off your lazy ass and get dressed."

Damon casually rested his arms behind his head and smirked at me as I left. "That man…" I muttered as I closed the door behind me.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

Miranda and I walked hand-in-hand downstairs toward the library where I could hear Elena, Stefan and Elijah talking.

"It's rude that they think they can start the pow-wow without us," I said to Miranda. "Isn't it?"

"It's your fault that we're late," she laughed. "Mr. I-Can't-Leave-Miranda-Alone-For-Ten-Seconds-So-She-Can-Dry-Her-Hair."

"You should've ignored me."

"Trust me," she sighed in fake exasperation. "I've tried."

"…if he breaks it, then Klaus will be a true hybrid." Elijah finished as we walked into the room.

"Then why are we letting him break the curse?" I asked, all eyes in the room turning to me. "We can kill him today. We have Bonnie."

"Bonnie can't use that much power without dying," Elena reminded me.

"I'll write her a great eulogy," I shrugged. Miranda backhanded my arm and I smirked at her as she rolled her eyes.

"It's not an option," Elena said with a tone of finality.

"Alright, how do we break the curse?" Stefan asked. I walked over to one of the armchairs and sat down, pulling Miranda to sit on my lap; the look of annoyance Elijah shot me didn't go unnoticed. I knew that he was overprotective of her, and that he didn't like me—who did—so I got great amusement in knowing that _Daddy_ didn't approve of us.

"The ritual itself is relatively straightforward," Elijah replied. "The ingredients, so to speak, you already know."

"The moonstone," Miranda offered.

"Yes." Elijah nodded. "A witch will channel the power of the full moon to release the spell that's bound within the stone. After that, Klaus, being both werewolf and vampire, will sacrifice one of each."

"Where do I fit in?" Elena asked.

"The final part of the ritual," Elijah replied, walking across the library to one of the bookshelves. He pulled a small wooden box out and brought it to the table. "Klaus must drink the blood of the doppelganger…to the point of your death."  
"You don't seem too alarmed," I interjected. Elijah sighed and opened the box, removing a glass jar from it.

"This is an elixir that I acquired some 500 years ago for Katerina," he replied. "It possesses mystical properties of resuscitation."

"So I'll be dead?" Elena asked.

"And then you won't."

"How sure are you that the elixir will work?" Miranda asked, eyeing the dusty old relic with contempt. "I mean…it's pretty old."

"I put my faith in it completely," he replied. "The group of witches I asked to make this potion assured me that it would stay potent as long as the curse was still in effect." I could tell that Miranda felt uneasy about it and I looked over at Elena.

"You want to come back to life? What about John's ring?"

"Those rings only work on humans," Elijah said. "The doppelganger's a supernatural occurrence. Odds are, the ring won't work."

"I'd take those odds over your little potion," I told him. "What if it doesn't work?"

"Then I guess I'll just be dead." Elena sighed.

"Excuse me," Miranda muttered, getting up and letting go of my hand before leaving the room, a calm expression on her face and a dark look in her eyes.

"Besides, how do we know that Klaus has everything he needs to break the curse. Does he have a werewolf?" Elena asked.

"Klaus has been waiting to break this curse for over a thousand years." Elijah said. "If he doesn't already have a werewolf, my guess is that he will by tonight."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I wiped away the angry tears that accidentally rolled down my cheeks as I kneaded the pie crust dough forcefully, as if that would get rid of my frustrations. I knew it really wasn't time for pie, but baking was one of the coping mechanisms I had.

It wasn't like I didn't want to trust Elijah, but if Klaus had planned to break the curse on _that_ full moon so long ago, then the witches probably didn't make the elixir with the consideration that it could've been unexpectedly postponed…for 500 years.

"Oh!" I jumped at the exclamation and turned around to find a tired looking Jenna standing at the door into the kitchen. Her eyes were wide in surprise and she was playing with her hands. "I didn't think anyone was in here," she said meekly. "I'll just go."

"No, Jenna wait," I stopped her. "Do you need anything?"

"Uh," she began shyly. "I was just looking for some juice…or coffee or something." I dusted my hands off on a dish towel and grabbed a mug from one of the cupboards, waving her into the kitchen.

"Cream and sugar?" I asked.

"Yes please," Jenna nodded, walking toward me. There was a tense silence in the air as I poured coffee in the mug for her. "Are you really…you know, a vampire?" I looked up, shocked at her question.

"Uh, yeah." I nodded.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Jenna asked. "You've been living across the street from me for months, you joined the Historical Society. We were friends, weren't we?"

"We _are_ friends, Jenna," I told her. "But it was my secret. Even if you had known about vampires before, it isn't something you just blurt out in conversation. What was I going to say, "Hi I'm Miranda, your new neighbor. By the way, I drink other people's blood so I can live forever?" I don't think that would've worked out too well."

"You seem so normal, though," Jenna awed.

"I've been at this for a long time," I shrugged. "What seems normal is just hundreds of years of adaptation."

"How old _are_ you?"

"How old are _you_ Jenna?" I teased, gently nudging her in the side.

"Alright," she laughed. "Point taken." I handed her the mug and got back to work on my pie as we talked in amicable conversation. I was happy that Jenna wasn't too far gone in depression caused by the wall of lies and deceit we had to build.

"Miranda," Elena said, walking into the kitchen, surprised to see Jenna out of her room and actually talking to someone. "Can I talk to you? You seemed upset earlier."

"Yeah," I nodded.

"Yeah, we can talk," Elena asked. "Or yeah, you're upset?"

"Yeah," I repeated simply.

"I'm just gonna go…" Jenna jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "I have some sleep to catch up with." Once she was gone, Elena walked over and rested her arms on the other side of the island countertop, sighing.

"Why don't you think the elixir will work?" she asked.

"I don't know." I replied. "There's just this gut feeling I have…Elena, you're one of my only friends. If something happens to you, I'll only have Stefan, Jenna and Alaric. Stefan and Jenna would be destroyed if you die, and I have no idea if Rick's even still alive _right now_."

"You'll have Damon," Elena reminded me.

"Damon's not my friend," I laughed. "Well…you know what I mean."

"Yeah." She nodded. "I do. But you just have to trust my judgment. Please. If I don't go through with this…if I don't take this chance, Klaus is going to hurt more people. I don't want that." We stood there in silence for a few minutes, and I was just staring at the bowl of strawberries I was planning to cut up when I was done with the dough when an idea worked its way into my mind.

"Have you ever read Tuck Everlasting?" I asked.

"My dad read it to me when I was younger," she replied, nodding in recognition.

"Do you remember when Jesse gave Winnie the spring water so she could live forever with him?"

"Yeah, but she didn't drink it," Elena said. "What's your point?" I sighed and picked the knife out of the bowl of strawberries and held it over my wrist, the serrated edge barely touching my skin.

"Fountain of youth," I shrugged. "Guaranteed to bring you back if you die in the ritual."

"What?" Elena frowned.

"Being a vampire isn't that bad," I told her. "And you'll have Stefan, Damon and I as a support if you come across any bumps in the road. What do you think?"

"No," Elena shook her head. "I appreciate the offer, Miranda, but I can't…I don't want to. No." I put the knife down, disappointed and unable to understand. "Is that alright?"

"You—" I began, but was cut off by a loud bang and frenzied voices.

"GET OUT!"

"What the hell?" I muttered, running towards the origin with Elena at my heels. I skidded to a halt in the hallway when I saw Jenna holding a crossbow at a very much alive, very much alarmed Alaric. Stefan and Damon quickly joined us.

"Jenna, put the crossbow down, ok?" Alaric begged. "It's me."

"Stay away from me."

"What's going on?" Elena asked.

"It's me, Elena. I swear, ok?" Alaric pleaded. "He let me go. Klaus let me go."

"He wouldn't have just _let_ you go," Damon scoffed. "Prove it." Alaric fumbled for words and then looked at Jenna.

"Ok, uh…" he sighed. "The first night you and I spent together, Jeremy walked in right when I was about to…"

"It's him," Jenna stopped him from continuing as she lowered the crossbow. My eyes widened considerably; I did not need to hear that, even if he didn't say anything…distasteful.

"Why did Klaus let you go?" I asked.

"He wanted me to deliver a message," he replied, eyes roaming around to each of us. "The sacrifice happens tonight."

Oh boy. Not good.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

Miranda stood with her back to me, looking out the window in my bedroom as I leaned against the wall, watching her. She hadn't spoken much since Alaric had begun talking about what happened with Isobel and Klaus, and I had followed her when she excused herself to leave again.

"Are you going to stay silent for the rest of the day?" I asked.

"I'm thinking," she replied. "Something you do very little of." I was glad she was making jokes, but the way she tilted her head to the side worried me. In all the years I had known Miranda, she only did that when she was genuinely concerned with something.

I walked across the room and wrapped my arms around her waist, pressing a kiss into her hair as she leaned back against me.

"What's bothering you?" I whispered. "I can make it better."

"No you can't," Miranda replied.

"Tell me what's wrong," I insisted.

"No."

"Miranda," I said in a warning tone.

"Damon," she mimicked.

"Why can't you just tell me." Miranda abruptly turned in my arms threw her arms around my neck, burying her face in my chest. I could feel a few stray tears roll down her cheeks and get absorbed by the material of my shirt.

"Elena's making a mistake," Miranda muttered.

"I know," I agreed with her.

"She isn't thinking. She just wants Klaus dead, which isn't a bad thing, but she isn't thinking through all the possibilities." Miranda sighed and I tightened my grip on her waist.

"And if Klaus wants the ritual done tonight, then there isn't enough time," she concluded.

"Why can't you just trust my judgment?" Elena's voice rang into the room. We both jumped and looked towards the door to find her standing by the door with her hand on the doorknob.

* * *

**Elena's POV**

I stood by the door, watching Damon and Miranda, who were, in turn, watching me. Their hands were clasped together tightly, despite having been startled enough to jump out of their embrace—which I kind of felt bad for when I saw the tears in Miranda's eyes.

This whole thing was getting to be too overwhelming. Everyone was hounding me about the possibility of my death, but I didn't expect them to be talking about it behind my back. I knew Miranda was worried for me, everyone was, but I wanted this done my way. And if I did die, it wasn't like I was going to _know_ the elixir didn't work, right? Stefan was the only person I could count on to be calm in this situation.

"Really, Elena," Damon scolded. "It's called knocking."

"I thought you would have faith in Elijah more than anyone," I continued, ignoring his comment.

"He's let me down more than enough times," Miranda replied. "But my faith in him isn't the issue at hand here Elena."

"Will you try to get her to listen to why I'm doing this?" I asked, looking at Damon now.

"I actually agree with her," he replied. My mouth dropped open in shock.

"I'll be fine," I insisted. "I'll drink the elixir, Bonnie will kill Klaus, and then all of this will be over."

"If it works," Damon replied.

"It _will_ work." I sighed in frustration. How could I get them to understand?

"Miranda offered me her blood," I blurted out, it being the first thing to come to mind. "But I said no. Do you know why? Because I can see the way you two and Stefan suffer with this burden of being a vampire…and if there's another option, I'm going to take my chances with it."

"But Elena," Miranda began.

"No," I stopped her. "I made my choice. This conversation is over." Miranda nodded, looks of sadness and understanding crossing her features. I turned around and was about to leave when I felt an odd sensation in the air and found Damon standing in front of me.

"What are you doing?" I asked, suddenly afraid of the dark look in his eyes.

"What Miranda was too polite to do," he replied. When I saw Damon biting savagely into his own wrist, nothing registered in my mind. When I heard Miranda screaming for him to stop, I was frozen in fear. And when I felt Damon's bloody wrist press against my mouth as he held me against him so I couldn't move, the world started moving again. I kicked and thrashed against him as I felt the sticky blood flow into my mouth and down my throat.

I was suddenly thrown to the floor, and I looked up to see Miranda standing with Damon across the room. I lifted my hand to my mouth and was disgusted at the sight of the blood on my fingers.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"What happened?" Stefan asked, running into the room and kneeling next to Elena. When he saw the blood, he looked up at Damon and I accusingly. "What did you do? Huh? What did you do?"

I honestly didn't think Damon would do something so stupid and impulsive. The way he looked at me when I pushed him to the other side of the room said it all, though. _I did it for you. I made it better._ Just like he said he would a few minutes earlier.

"I'm sorry Stefan," I apologized as Elena coughed wildly.

"You're sorry?" he exclaimed.

"I'm not," Damon snapped. "There are no doubts anymore. If Elena dies, she'll come back."

"As a vampire," Stefan snapped back. "She'll come back as a _vampire_."

"It's better than everyone grieving because she's dead," Damon replied, quickly glancing down into my eyes.

"How could you, of all people, take that choice away from her?" Stefan asked.

"Stop it." I said, seeing the murderous look in his eyes. "Take a minute. Calm down. Instead of blaming your brother, check on your girlfriend, will you?" I asked, pointing to Elena, who stared at Damon and I accusingly with tears in her eyes.

"What the hell's going on in here?" Alaric asked as he and Jenna ran into the room.

"Get them out of here," Elena sobbed, pointing to us. "Now." I quickly grabbed Damon's hand and pulled him out of the bedroom, angry and guilty at the same time. If I hadn't offered Elena my blood, none of this would have happened.

"What was that?" I asked, pushing Damon into the library. "Why did you do it?"

"You were going to give Elena your blood," he replied. "So did I."

"No," I shook my head. "You forced it down her throat. Did you think that your actions would end well? Did you think that you would make me happy?" Damon walked over to me and cupped my face in his hands, wiping away a few tears I hadn't noticed with his thumbs.

"I never want to see you sad, Miranda," he whispered.

"She's not just going to hate you, Damon," I said, covering his hands with mine. "She's going to hate me too. And there's nothing worse than having your best friend hate you for all eternity." Recognition crossed behind Damon's eyes and he nodded.

"I see the Lovers' Quarrel is over," Elijah said in a condescending manner as he entered the library. "You two weather all storms, don't you?"

"Oh shut up," Damon snarled at him.

"I could've taught you so much better," Elijah said, looking at me with a smirk; I rolled my eyes and effortlessly held Damon back as I felt him about to lunge for him. I noticed him pick up the wooden box that contained the elixir in from the table and I looked at him questioningly. "Feeding Elena vampire blood rendered the elixir useless." He stared at Damon and I for another second before turning on his heel to leave.

"Tell Elena I'll be back before nightfall," he said. "We'll proceed as planned."

He left without another word.

I sighed and sat down on the couch, putting my face in my hands in frustration. I thought back to a few months ago, when I first arrived back in Mystic Falls; part of me regretted pushing aside the notion to leave once I saw the drama starting back up.

"Here," Damon said gently, and I looked up, finding that he held a glass of scotch in front of me. I took it from him and he sat next to me, wrapping an arm around me as I rested my head on his shoulder.

"We screwed up," he muttered.

"That we did," I nodded. I looked up at him with a blank gaze; Damon leaned down a placed a chaste kiss on my lips.

"Do you wanna get out of here?" he whispered. A small smile made its way onto my lips and I nodded.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

Miranda had quickly gotten changed out of the clothes she had on—bloodstained courtesy of the wrist I used to give Elena my blood before it fully healed—and we went on our own way to the Grill. I needed alcohol, lots and lots of alcohol, and I knew that if we stayed at the boarding house, my stock would be depleted within a very short amount of time.

"The usual?" The bartender asked as Miranda and I sat at the bar. I nodded and immediately he set to work on a glass of bourbon for me and a glass of wine for Miranda.

"Thought I'd find you two here," Alaric said, sitting down next to me. "Drowning your sorrows in alcohol?"

"It's what we do best," I replied, downing my bourbon and signaling for another.

"Why so glum?" I heard an accented voice originate from down the bar.

"Oh dear Lord," I could hear Miranda mutter. I looked at Alaric, who had an alarmed look on his face, and then turned my head to find a man standing on the other side of Miranda, smirking at us. I groaned and shook my head. Great, just what I needed.

"Klaus, I presume," I said.

"In the flesh," he replied, then glanced at Alaric. "Thanks for the loner, mate."

"What are you doing here?" Miranda asked, glaring at Klaus.

"I was hoping that you would warm up to me better if I was in my own skin," he replied.

"If you give me the real answer, I won't be tempted to wipe that condescending look off your face," she threatened. I didn't like the way they interacted; Klaus seemed to be enjoying it a little too much.

"I've been hearing rumors," he shrugged and looked over at Alaric and I. "Just thought I'd remind you to not do anything you'll regret."

"Thanks for your advice," I snapped. It was then that I had a lightbulb moment. "I don't suppose I could talk you into a postponement, by any chance?"

"You are kidding," Klaus said, then looked to Miranda. "He is kidding right?" She glanced at me quickly, sending me a look that said "what the hell are you doing" and then turned back.

"Afraid not."

"What's one more month in the whole grand scheme of things?" I asked, trying to be chummy so he would reconsider. If we waited until the blood was out of Elena's system and then tried Elijah's elixir, maybe everything would go back to normal.

"Let me be clear," Klaus said, walking around so he was standing before me. "I have my vampire, I have my werewolf; I have everything I need. The ritual will happen tonight. So if you want to live to see tomorrow, don't screw it up." He looked to Miranda now. "Try to get it through your boyfriend's thick skull." And with that, he left.

"Well that was fun," I commented, returning to my drink.

"What's the matter with you?" Miranda asked, hitting my arm. "He was going to rip your head off your shoulders." I sent her an apologetic look and then turned to Alaric.

"You think if I took his werewolf out of the equation…"

"Oh no," Rick shook his head. "Do you really have a death wish?"

"Without the werewolf, he can't perform the ritual tonight," I reasoned.

"But you'll still be dead," he replied.

"Are you gonna help me, or what?" I asked.

Rick sighed and then reluctantly replied, "What do you want me to do?" I smirked and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me," Miranda interrupted. "Were you not going to include me?"

"You know that you're always the first one on the sign-up sheet," I told her, taking her hand in mine and kissing her knuckles gently. "Come on. We have work to do."

**A/N: Happy belated Thanksgiving! Well, for those of you who celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday anyways. I finally got a chance to post this; it took me a long time to write this because I wrote 3 different drafts and chose the best parts of each to put into this one. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it. Reviews are always appreciated. Until next time!**


	53. How to Fix What Isn't Broken

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

"How many keys do you have?" I asked, staring in awe at the enormous key ring Alaric produced from his jacket pocket; there had to be at least 30.

"I don't know," he shrugged, looking for the correct one to unlock his apartment as Damon and I followed behind him on the stairs. "House, car, uh…school, classroom, teacher's bathroom…"

"Alright," Damon snapped. "I don't think she was asking for a detailed list, Rick. Focus on the task at hand please." We finally made it to his door, and after another moment of key-fumbling, Rick opened the door and walked in.

"Look who's dumb enough to come back," I heard Katherine say from inside.

"Well, someone had to invite them inside," Rick said in reply. He then looked over and us and motion us inside. "Would you guys, uh…like to come in?"

"Don't mind if we do," Damon said, leading me inside, a mocking pep in his step as we crossed over the threshold with ease. Almost immediately, Katherine rushed towards Damon with a murderous look in her eyes, but I stepped between them and pushed her back before she could do any damage—not that she could, because, as Damon had told me, she had vervain in her system and probably hadn't had any blood in days.

"What the hell?" Katherine snapped, her glare focused on me more than it was on Damon or Rick. "Are you trying to get me killed?"

"I did you a favor, and now we're here to collect," Damon told her with a cool indifference. He looked over at Rick, who was leaning against the door with his arms crossed. "We've got it from here."

"You sure?" he asked.

"Go back to the Boarding House and make sure Elena doesn't just hand herself over."

"See you guys later, then." And with that, he left. "Miranda, you can go too."

"Excuse me?" I turned around and looked at him incredulously. "I thought I was first on the sign-up sheet?"

"Only one of us needs to get blamed for this," he pleaded.

"Oh no," I shook my head. "Once I'm in, I'm in."

"Pardon my intrusion," Katherine said quite loudly, gaining our attention once again. "Get blamed for _what_?"

"We need to know where Klaus is keeping his werewolf," I told her curtly, suddenly not caring that she was in the room but that Damon wanted to go on a suicide mission by himself. Unbelievable.

"Why?"

"Dead werewolf," Damon began. "Equals no ritual."

"No," Katherine shook her head. "You can't interfere. Klaus will kill you and everyone you've ever met."

"We just need to delay the sacrifice for another month," Damon shrugged. "You should like this; it'll buy you another month of your pathetic life."

"I'm not the vampire he's planning on sacrificing, so that puts a little dent in your master plan," she mocked, walking past us to sit on one of the kitchen stools.

"So who does he have in the lineup?" I asked.

"Caroline Forbes and Tyler Lockwood," she replied. "So, I'm in the clear."

"Well, we can all guess where Big Bad Original would get that idea from," Damon sneered at her.

"Don't blame me," she said. "I'm just trying to stay alive long enough to get myself out of here." I looked over at Damon, who sighed in exasperation and sent me a "what-the-hell-do-we-do-now" look. I rolled my eyes and turned to look at Katherine, who was watching our silent conversation with a smirk.

"Elena has vampire blood in her system," I told her.

"WHAT?" she exclaimed, the smirk falling right off her face. Have I ever mentioned that I am a mastermind at extortion?

"Stefan already made his choice of who he loves the most, and I think that eternity with Elena would definitely kick your already microscopic odds in the competition right out the window." I smiled inwardly with glee when I saw the internal battle Katherine was having.

"The tomb," she bit out. "He's got them in the tomb."

"See?" Damon asked, walking next to me and wrapping an arm around my waist. "Was that so hard?"

"He, of course, means "thank you,"" I told her.

"Of course," Damon agreed, leading me out of the apartment. "We know where to find you if we need anything else."

"Oh, fun," was the last thing I heard from Katherine as we went down the hall towards the stairs.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"Just make sure you're quiet."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"It's all about the element of surprise," I explained to Miranda as we walked through the forest, the last remnants of sunlight guiding our way.

"Surprise?" she asked.

"No doubt Klaus has one of his lackeys on guard dog duty," I replied. I carefully stepped over a branch and was about to tell Miranda something else, but when I looked, I found that she had disappeared. "Damn it, Miranda. This is no time for games." I waited for her to come back, but when she didn't, I continued on, hearing a twig snap as I reached the clearing by the stairs to the tomb. I quickly turned around and found the warlock douche Alaric had told me had snatched him. The same one Miranda had fooled so she could get out of her house.

"Which one are you trying to save?" he asked. "The blonde or the wolf? Did you really think Klaus would leave them unprotected."

"I had a feeling," I said simply, before rushing towards him and tackling him to the ground. As I got a good grip on his throat, I was flung across the clearing; an intense burning pain ripped through my skull and I fell to the ground in agony, letting a scream out as the pain worsened.

Then the pain stopped. I quickly looked up to find Miranda on the warlock's back, her arms around his neck in a choke hold.

"Hey Maddie," Miranda said in mock sweetness. "Did you really think I would leave him to defend himself?" She looked over at me and winked before snapping his neck and letting him fall to the ground, dead. She walked over to me and helped me off the ground, a triumphant smile on her face.

"_That_ is how you use the element of surprise," she said.

"Shut up," I replied, trying to hold back a laugh. The silence was then replaced with the loud cocking of a rifle. We both turned around to find Elena's friend Matt standing a few yards away, his rifle pointed at us menacingly.

"Where's Caroline?" he asked.

"Listen, man," I took a step closer. "This is not a good time to play the crazy hero."

"Where is she?" Matt asked again. "What did you do to her?"

"We're just here to rescue her," I replied. In the blink of an eye, Matt was on the ground, unconscious, and Miranda was standing over him with a guilty look on his face. "What did you do that for?" I asked, walking over.

"He was about to shoot you," she replied, throwing the rifle to me. "You know, I'm on a roll today; you owe me…big time."

"Well, just to let you know, I have _many _ideas," I smirked as I unloaded the bullets from the rifle. I had just thrown them away when I noticed one of the bullets. I crouched over and picked it up; wood. "Looks like someone found a new toy to play with," I commented, showing the bullet to Miranda.

"Where would the boy next door get wooden bullets?" she asked.

"That is a question for another time," I sighed, although it was also eating at me too. "Come on; we still need to rescue Barbie and Wolf Boy."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

The tomb was dark and quiet; old footprints overlapped in the dirt on the floor and it was difficult to tell which way Klaus had brought Tyler and Caroline.

"Anything?" Damon asked, his arms crossed over his chest. I took a deep breath and listened for Tyler's heartbeat, which was faint and far. Stupid tomb; whoever designed it to be a labyrinth should be shot.

"This way," I said, leading the way. As we walked, I could hear Damon laugh, and I looked over my shoulder at him with a questioning look.

"Imagine Klaus' face when he realizes we ruined his plan," he explained.

"He's going to be really pissed off, Damon," I told him, no amusement in my voice. "He's going to _kill_ us."

"Are you afraid?" he asked.

"Of Klaus?"

"Of dying."

"No," I answered. "I would rather not, but if I knew I was going to die…I wouldn't be afraid. What about you?"

"I guess I deserve it," he shrugged. "You know, karma."

"But would you be afraid?" I asked.

"I don't know," he replied, then smiled. "We'll just have to wait and see when that day comes." We approached the wrought iron gate that separated one of the chambers from the rest of the tomb, a brand new lock and chain around the latch of the old gate. Damon kicked the gate open without hesitation, the old metal breaking from the chain.

"Ladies first," he said, making a sweeping motion before him. I rolled my eyes and continued inside, smiling inwardly when I spotted Caroline and Tyler.

"Miranda? Damon?" Caroline asked in surprise when she saw us.

"Your boyfriend's outside with a rifle loaded with wooden bullets," Damon told her as he went to free her from the chains. "You have some explaining to do."

"Matt?" she asked in surprise.

"Wait a second," Tyler said to her as I worked on trying to break the shackles from his wrists. "Matt knows about you?"

"No, I—" Caroline began, but Damon stopped her.

"Shh. That's tomorrow's problem." He stood up, and dusted his hands on his jeans, surveying his handiwork. "Let's just get you two out of here." I offered Tyler and hand and pulled him to his feet.

"I would ask if you were hurt, but, uh—" I said to Tyler with a shrug.

"Kinda useless."

"It's getting dark outside," I told him as our small group made our way toward the exit. "How're you feeling?"

"Fine," he nodded. "Nothing yet."

"You think you can get the hell away from here in time?" Damon asked.

"I need to get to my family's cellar so I can lock myself up," Tyler replied with a shrug. "I might make it in time if I go fast enough."

"I'll help," Caroline offered.

"Caroline," I protested.

"I just want to make sure he's ok," she quickly replied, casting a quick glance at the werewolf.

"Fine," Damon groaned and looked at Tyler. "Please don't make me regret saving you."

When we got out of the tomb, the sky was pitch black, and the forest was incredibly dark. As soon as Caroline spotted Matt, who was groaning as he woke up, she ran to his side and helped him get up.

"What did you do to him?" she asked, looking at Damon and I with an accusing glare.

"Did you already forget the part about the gun with the wooden bullets?" Damon asked.

Tyler groaned and collapsed to the ground next to me, holding his chest in pain.

"You ok?" I asked. He shook his head and looked up at the sky, the rest of us following that action. The full moon was clearly visible in the dark sky, a few wispy clouds glowing around it eerily.

"It's starting," he replied. Damon sighed in frustration.

"Grab boy wonder and let's go," he said, taking my hand and pulling me along with him. "We don't have much time."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"What's happening?" Matt asked Caroline. "Is he ok?"

"He better not wolf out on us," I replied, stopping as my phone began to ring. I pulled it out of my pocket and raised it to my ear.

"Bad time, little bro," I answered.

"Where the hell are you?" Stefan snapped.

"Miranda and I are saving the day," I told him. "Tell Elena to stay put."

"She's already gone," he said.

"What?" I exclaimed.

"Klaus came." Stefan continued. "He took her." Great; just great.

"I'll take care of it," I told him and then hung up.

"What happened?" Miranda asked from beside me.

"Klaus has Elena," I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "We get one step forward…"

"Tyler!" Matt exclaimed as Tyler fell to the ground, groaning in agony.

"And two steps back," Miranda finished for me in a whisper.

"I don't know if I can hold it off," Tyler forced out. "Get out of here."

"Tyler, it'll be ok," Caroline said, trying to pacify him.

"GO!"

"Come on, Barbie," I said. "Don't be stupid."

"We've got time," Caroline continued. "We're almost there."

"It's happening faster," Tyler told her.

"Caroline, it's too late. We need to go," Miranda tried to reason with her.

"It'll be ok," Caroline snapped in protest. There was a sick sound of bones snapping and crunching, and Tyler's head snapped up, his eyes bright gold. He quickly got up and was about to attack Caroline, but I rushed towards him and tackled him to the ground; somehow, I ended up underneath him

Fear quickly pulsed through my veins as I was on the ground, struggling and trying to hold Tyler by his shoulders as he snapped at me with his sharp teeth. It was just as I felt a sharp pain in my arm that Tyler went flying off me, hitting a tree and falling to the ground. He continued to thrash about, and I looked up and saw Miranda standing over me with wide eyes, placing her foot back firmly on the ground after kicking the werewolf off me.

"You ok?" she asked, helping me up.

"Yeah," I lied. "I'm fine."

"Get out of here!" Tyler screamed in a moment of control. I walked over to Caroline and Matt, handing him the wooden bullets from his rifle.

"Get to the Lockwood Cellar," I told them. "If it held him in, it'll keep him out. If it doesn't…don't hesitate to use those. They'll buy you a couple seconds." They nodded and then ran off. I turned around and took Miranda's hand in mine, quickly leading her through the dark forest, away from the transforming werewolf.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

Once we were out of the woods, I felt a tug on my hand as Damon stopped me. I turned around and sent him a questioning stare; it wasn't like we were out of danger from Tyler yet.

"We're splitting up," he said with a tone of finality.

"What?" I exclaimed. "Why?"

"I'm going to go and have a little chat with Klaus," he replied. "Maybe if he realizes his plan is out the window, then he'll let Elena go. _You_ are going back to the boarding house and help Stefan and Alaric work out a plan get her back if my way fails."

"Why can't I go with you?" I asked.

"Because you're the only one who can convince Elijah to help." He knew that wasn't why I was asking; I nodded, tears welling up in my eyes at the thought that this might be the last time I would see him alive. Damon quickly cupped my face in his hands and made me look him in the eye. "Everything will be ok, Miranda. How much crap have we been through, huh? We'll make it through this too. Everything will be alright tomorrow; you'll see."

Even if we did postpone Klaus' plans for another month, Damon would be dead because of our interference. Tomorrow would be another day, but nothing would be alright; my life would be over. Almost 150 years of love and pain and friendship and heartbreak: gone. All because of some stupid jackass who had ruined my life a thousand times for his own greed.

"I love you," I whispered.

"Not as much as I love you," Damon whispered back.

"Always?" I asked.

"Do I even need to answer that question?" he asked in return.

And then he kissed me. It wasn't lust-filled and rushed, but slow and passionate; every emotion we had ever felt towards one another was being expressed in this kiss. I savored every moment of it, the way our lips felt together, the way his thumb slowly caressed my cheek, leaving a tingly, warm sensation on my skin.

I could feel Damon begin to pull away, and I followed him, refusing to let this moment end, but he held me back. A few tears rolled down my cheeks as I opened my eyes and looked at him, but, to my dismay, I found that I was alone. I looked around with some hope that he was just tricking me, but found nothing.

"Pull it together," I muttered to myself as I began my walk to the boarding house. "I need to be strong."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

Darkness. A calm, quiet darkness. Was I dead?

A warm, delicious substance dripped slowly into my mouth and I felt the world around me bend and twist, returning to what it once was. Alaric's apartment. Klaus hadn't killed me…why? I slowly opened my eyes and found Katherine leaning over me.

"What the hell happened?" I groaned. One minute, Klaus had been telling me about his backup plan and how he was always prepared, and the next he had ambushed me, knocking me out. Why wasn't I about to be sacrificed in the ritual; why was I still here?

"He's gone," Katherine told me. "He went to do the ritual. And I'm sorry, but I had to do it. He would have known that I was on vervain if I didn't do it." I slowly sat up, my head pounding with pain.

"Ah," I winced. "Do what?"

"Klaus." She replied. "He made me call her to lure her out; he needed another vampire." It took a moment for her words to register in my head.

"Who did you call?" I asked, getting a sheepish look in return. I grabbed her by the arm and gripped it so tight she would feel pain. "Who did you call, Katherine?"

"Jenna," she muttered so quietly I barely heard. "He made me call Jenna and pretend I was Elena."

I quickly pushed myself off the ground and winced.

"He should've used me," I said. He wanted me to die anyways; he said that he had a backup vampire and had knocked me out. "Why didn't he use me?"

"He couldn't," Katherine said, getting up from the floor. "Damon. He said you were as good as dead."

"What does that even mean?" I asked.

"What does that _mean_?" she replied. Katherine took my arm and pushed my sleeve up, revealing the now irritated, ugly wound I had gotten from Tyler. "What is this, Damon?" I sighed in frustration.

"It's a werewolf bite."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I slowly made my way up the stairs in the boarding house, shrugging off my jacket as I got to the second floor. As much as Elijah had tried to include me into the conversation about rescuing Elena, my mind had been elsewhere the entire time; it had been hours since I had arrived back at the boarding house and I couldn't fight away a foreboding feeling that worked its way into my heart. Something was…wrong. _Very_ wrong. But I didn't know what it was.

I figured that, since I wasn't really helping Stefan, Alaric and Elijah, I would go and check up on Jenna, who Rick told me had been in her room most of the day. If I was going to be of no use to the others, I could at least keep Jenna from dying of boredom.

"Hey Jenna," I knocked on her door. "Are you awake?" After a few attempts, I carefully opened the door and found that the room was dark. I quickly turned on one of the lamps and was shocked to see that Jenna was nowhere in sight.

"Huh," I sighed and went back downstairs, wondering if Jenna had gone to the kitchen to get something to eat. As I passed the front door, I caught the undeniable smell of blood, and stopped abruptly. I followed the scent outside and gasped out loud when I found a puddle of blood a few feet away from the driveway with Jenna's phone alongside it.

"Elijah!" I called back inside. "Come out here." Almost instantly, I was joined by Stefan and Elijah, who were just as concerned as I was when they saw the blood. Soon enough, Alaric ran outside, slightly out of breath.

"What happened?" he asked. I turned around and tried to think of a way to tell him that wouldn't give him a heart attack, but the only way I could think of was just to be blunt.

"Klaus took Jenna."

**A/N: Yeah! Another episode of Season 2. Done. Only 2 more episodes to go before I can start Season 3. (Check out the poll on my profile page if you haven't already.)**

**Reviews are love. My brain elves are working non-stop to get new chapters of all 3 of my stories out before Christmas, so the only thing I want in return is a review! (4 more until I Wish It Was You reaches 250.) Any feedback is great; did you love this chapter? Did you hate it? Do you want to throw eggnog in my face? Let me know!**

**Until next time!**


	54. Watching the Blood Fall

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Damon's POV**

I looked down at my arm, watching as the bite slowly got worse by the minute; I could feel Katherine's gaze on it as well.

"So that's what a werewolf bite looks like," she said.

"Yep," I replied.

"It's not that bad."

"It will be." I sighed and got up from the chair I had been sitting in, rolling my sleeve back over my arm.

"So that's it?" Katherine asked. "You're just…going to die?"

"Well that depends," I replied, looking over at her. "DO you know anything about a cure?" She gravely shook her head. "Me either." I walked over to the couch and grabbed my jacket. I couldn't waste my time here; I needed to get back to the others and help them with the plan to stop Klaus.

"So this is it?" Katherine asked as I walked towards the door. "145 years and no last goodbye?" I stopped in my tracks for a split second and frowned; after all the things I had been through, all the things Katherine at put me through, she wasn't the one who I wanted to spend the time I had left with.

"You don't get a goodbye," I told her and continued on my way, only to be stopped again when she rushed in front of me.

"No," she shook her head. "Don't leave mad."

"Us ending up on good terms isn't exactly on my bucket list, Katherine," I snapped at her.

"Klaus made me call Jenna to lure her out," she tried to explain. "There was nothing I could do; I didn't have a choice."

"That's why I gave you vervain. You had a choice."

"It was her or me." Katherine continued. "I chose her." I rolled my eyes; what could I expect from the self-centered princess?

"I helped you. You owed me. Now when Klaus dies, you're going to walk out of here without a scratch, and Elena's aunt dies. Somehow, you're the only one that wins; how'd that happen?" She stayed silent and looked down to her feet.

"Enjoy eternity alone, Katherine," I said, and pushed past her to get to the door.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

The car had silent as I drove toward the Witch House, where Jeremy and Bonnie were waiting for us. When I had quickly glanced over at Elijah who was sitting in the passenger's seat, an eerie look of calm contemplation on his face, and then my gaze had gone to the rearview mirror, where I found Alaric and Stefan staring out the windows. When they began talking about the ritual, I couldn't focus on anything that was being said.

I stared at the dark road ahead of me and let my mind wander into nothingness. I was worried, worried about Elena and Jenna…and Damon. Just thinking about him squeezed my heart in a painful way. I had to push everything away so I wouldn't do something stupid.

I don't know how long I had been in space-out land before I felt Elijah shake my shoulder gently. My head snapped to the right so I could look at him and I frowned, sending a questioning look his way.

"We're here," he said, fighting of the amused smirk on his face. I quickly looked around, noticing that in my daze, I had successfully gotten us to our destination without crashing into a tree or something. Huh…

"Are you alright?" he asked, concern now filling his voice.

"Yeah." I nodded.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course," I insisted and pulled my keys out of the ignition and unbuckled my seatbelt. "Let's go." As we got out of the car and headed towards the house, Elijah continued telling Stefan about the ritual.

"The sacrifice is completed in stages as the full moon sets. First the werewolf is killed, then the vampire, and finally, the doppelganger," he explained. "Once Elena dies, the curse will be broken and Klaus will become a hybrid."

"So when do we attack?" Rick asked, looking over at Elijah.

"Elena's death will activate his dormant werewolf side. He'll be vulnerable during the transformation; that's where Bonnie comes in."

"And you're sure Bonnie will survive this?" Stefan asked.

"If she can deliver him to the brink of death, I'll finish the job." Elijah quickly sent me a look that said "I-know-you-want-to-kill-him-yourself-but-it-has-to-be-this-way". I rolled my eyes and continued walking.

Stefan's phone began to ring and he quickly pulled it out of his pocket.

"Who is it?" Rick asked.

"It's Damon."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"Damon." Stefan answered.

"Where are you?" I asked, looking around at the empty library as I poured myself a glass of scotch.

"We're meeting up with Bonnie…" There was a pause. "Miranda, let go."

"_Give me the phone, Stefan._" I smirked as I could hear her over the other end of the line. "_I swear to God!_"

"Here you go," my brother replied in a cautious voice. "Relax a little bit."

"Damon?" Miranda asked when she got the phone. "What happened?"

"Expected me to be dead, didn't you?" I teased, although I was still shaken inside from the realization that my death would be slow and painful instead of…quick and painful.

"What happened?"

"Well I went to Rick's apartment, as planned, and tried to get Big Bad Klaus to stop the ritual…but it got complicated. He's got a backup werewolf."

"Of course," she sighed. "That's why he took Jenna…"

"Yeah. How's Rick taking it?" I asked, raising my glass to my lips with shaky hands.

"Not well."

"How about you?"

"Not well," she repeated with a sigh. "Just because Klaus didn't kill you doesn't mean that you're exempt from helping. When do you think you can get here?"

"Miss me?"

"Damon," Miranda said in a serious tone.

"I'll leave in a few minutes," I told her.

"Ok, see you then," she replied.

"I love you," I said.

"I love you too." I smiled and then ended the call, tossing my phone onto the table. I was just about to pour myself another drink when a loud knock on the front door echoed through the house. I rolled my eyes and decided to ignore it; there were more important issues at hand than dealing with solicitors.

The knocking ceased for a few seconds and then continued. I placed my glass down on the table and walked out of the library, heading for the door as the knocking got louder.

"Heard ya," I called out, hoping that whoever was at the door would stop. Honestly, with all the people just barging in without caring to knock, I wasn't used to having to actually _answer_ the door.

I suddenly felt extremely dizzy and had to catch my balance before I fell; I shook my head, waiting for the sensation to go away. I pulled up my sleeve and looked at my arm, frowning as I saw that the werewolf bite was much worse than it had been when I was talking to Katherine.

"Wow," I muttered, awestruck at just how bad it was. I continued on to the door and opened it. Brooding John Gilbert; just what I need.

"Great," I said. "I was just thinking about getting a bite to eat."

"Elena hasn't returned any of my calls for days," he said, walking inside. "I need to see her."

"Well, you're a day late and a daughter short, John," I replied as I closed the door.

"What are you talking about?" He frowned.

"Klaus has her," I explained. "Sacrifice goes down tonight."

"How could you let that happen?" he asked. "You were supposed to keep her safe; wasn't that the sum total of your plan? To keep her safe?"

"She is safe," I told him.

"How?"

"I might have fed her my blood," I shrugged.

"You what?" he exclaimed.

"When Klaus kills Elena in the sacrifice, she will come back to life." I said. "Granted, as the thing you hate the most in the world, but no one really cares what you think." I turned around so I could get my jacket and leave, but I felt John's hand on my shoulder. I turned around and threw him away from me as I saw his fist get closer to my face, letting him hit the wall in, what looked like, a very painful way.

"You do _not_ want to mess with me right now," I threatened.

"You ruined her life," he said. "You know that right?"

"That's what I've been hearing lately," I nodded. "I took her choice; I destroyed her future. Trust me, I get it."

"Do you?" he sneered.

"Don't worry John," I replied. "That's the least of our problems, because this little situation we've been thrown into gets worse."

"How could it possibly get any worse?" he asked. I sighed and looked at the grandfather clock in the hallway.

"I'll tell you on the way."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I sat quietly on the steps outside of the house leading up to the porch, my eyes scanning the pages of the grimoire Bonnie had given me to look through. She told me to call her if I found anything about how to prevent Elena from becoming a vampire, but the term "it's all Greek to me" kinda fit in this situation. Couldn't this have been more like Harry Potter? I understood Harry Potter.

I carefully turned the fragile page and continued looking through the diagrams and scribbled handwriting, curious about the different uses for all of the different spells.

"How are you doing?" Elijah's deep voice easily broke my weak concentration, and I looked up to find him walking down the steps and sit down next to me.

"Two of my closest friends are about to be sacrificed in a ritual, the man I love more than anything was almost killed, and we're trying to kill the one person in the entire world who has turned countless lives upside-down because of personal gain; how should I feel?" I shrugged.

"What are you thinking about, then?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing," I repeated. "There are so many thoughts and they're going so fast…it's all white noise."

"You should calm down a little," Elijah insisted.

"Yeah," I laughed. "Easier said than done."

"What do you mean, Klaus took Jenna?" Bonnie asked frantically as she and Stefan walked out of the house. Elijah and I stood up immediately and watched them argue.

"Klaus was going to use Tyler and Caroline, but Damon and Miranda rescued them before it was too late," Stefan explained. Bonnie quickly looked over at me and frowned.

"We need to go now. If we get there before Jenna's been sacrificed, I'll kill Klaus by myself."

"Bonnie, you can't," I protested. "If you use that much power, you'll die."

"Neither is letting Jenna die." Bonnie sighed. "There has to be another way."

"There is," Stefan replied. "We're going to offer another vampire; one that he'll want more. Me."

"Oh no," I shook my head. "What good is it if _you_ die? Do you think Elena will want to live the rest of eternity without you?"

"It's the only choice I have, Miranda," he said. "I love Elena; I would gladly die if I knew she was going to live." I sighed, knowing there was no use trying to reason with Stefan. He looked over at Bonnie. "Can you find out where Klaus is performing the ritual?" "Uh…yeah," she nodded. "I'm just going to need a few minutes." She took the grimoire I had been reading from my hands and ran back inside.

* * *

**Elijah's POV**

I walked out of the house after the witch located my brother, ready to tell Stefan so he could leave, especially since there wasn't much time to spare if he truly wanted to replace Jenna. I coughed once I got close enough to Stefan and Miranda, who were talking in hushed tones, so I could get their attention. They both immediately looked over at me and Miranda left with a forced smile as I joined Stefan.

"Bonnie did a locator spell," I said. "They're at Steven's quarry."

"Alright. I'll head over there first," Stefan nodded, glaring slightly in the direction Miranda had left. "You'll follow with Bonnie when it's time."

"Yes, we'll keep her hidden until the moon hits its final phase. Klaus cannot know that she's alive." I nodded and Stefan began to walk away. "Your actions are very honorable, Stefan."

"Really?" he asked, stopping in his tracks. "What about yours? This whole plan is…contingent upon your honor, Elijah," he said.

"I won't fail you," I told him.

"Klaus is your brother," Stefan continued. "I've wanted to kill my brother a thousand times, but I've never been able to _because_ he's my brother."

"Well, Klaus was not my only brother," I began, keeping the dark feelings I felt for Klaus at bay…until the time was right. "I had siblings; parents. I had a family. Over the centuries, Klaus hunted them down one by one and he took them from me. He scattered them across the seas where their bodies couldn't be found." I sighed.

"_Stay away from me!" Miranda screamed and backed away. "It's your fault...you've ruined my life, and it's ALL YOUR FAULT!"_

The memory of Miranda's voice echoed in my ears, although it had been over 500 years since she said them."He's taken all that I care about from me, and if he truly was my brother, he wouldn't have been so selfish."

"You want revenge?" Stefan asked.

"Sometimes there is honor in revenge," I replied. "I won't fail you." Stefan looked down at the ground and then back at me.

"Miranda trusts you," he said. "And I trust her, so I'm putting my faith in you to end this. Please." I gave him a silent nod and then he went on his way.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"He did what?" I exclaimed in shock. When I had gotten to the Witch house with John, I wasn't expecting Alaric to drop that little bombshell on me; I was half-tempted to blame the bite for causing me to hear things.

"Stefan wasn't going to let Jenna die," Rick explained.

"We have a witch," I said, trying to process the reasons for my brother's actions. "She kills Klaus; no one has to die!"

"Except for Bonnie," he reminded me. I released a bitter laugh, which soon turned into a growl, and punched the nearest thing I could find in my rage: the thick stone wall.

"Hey, are you ok?" Rick asked.

"I'm fine," I snapped. There was a clatter of frantic footsteps and I turned around when I heard Miranda's voice.

"What's going on here?" she asked with wide eyes. "What was that noise?"

"Nothing," I told her, a genuine smile coming to my lips when I saw her, despite the serious situation we were in. "Alaric and I were just…discussing Stefan's decision to replace Jenna in the ritual."

"Yeah," Miranda nodded. "I had a few…choice words with Stefan about that as well." I raised an eyebrow in question, hoping she'd elaborate further. "We seemed to disagree on whether or not it was a wise decision."

"Who won?" I asked.

"Guess," she replied; I rolled my eyes. Of course Stefan won.

"Hey guys," Bonnie's voice traveled through the house. "John found something we might be able to use it to help Elena." Miranda's eyes lit up with hope and she grabbed my hand with a smile, tugging me in the direction she had come from.

"So, we were looking through the Gilbert journals John brought, and we came across something," Bonnie said as we walked down into the old, dilapidated cellar.

"Jonathan journaled the story of a mother who called on Emily's services," John began. "The woman's baby was sick; dying. Emily cast a spell that would bind the woman's life force with her child's."

"Skip to the good part, please," I said in disinterest.

"Damon," Miranda exclaimed, slapping my shoulder. "Don't be rude."

"The child died," John continued. "But the mother's life force flowed through her, restoring her to life."

"We already know Elena's going to come back to life," Jeremy disputed.

"She'll be a vampire," Miranda added.

"Not if her soul remains intact," John replied.

"Her soul, really?" I scoffed. "You're going to put your faith in some Act of God mumbo jumbo?"

"I refuse to let Elena become the thing I've spent my life protecting her against," John said, taking a step closer to me. "You can call that God or mystical energy, whatever you want, but yes…I'm putting my faith in it."

"What if it doesn't work?" Rick asked.

"We just have to try," Bonnie answered with a sigh.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"Where are you going?" I felt a tug on my arm as I walked through the hall, effectively stopping me in my tracks. I turned around to find Damon, and the frown that had taken residence on my face deepened.

"Outside," I shrugged. "Fresh air."

"Fresh air?" he asked. "If you haven't noticed, this house is full of fresh air." He motioned to the curtains moving from air blowing through the broken windows.

"Very funny," I deadpanned and continued on my way towards the door. "Why are you following me?"

"Bonnie's voodooing John," Damon said. "I'm bored. I figured that I haven't seen my girlfriend in a few hours, and I should spend some quality time with her before we walk into hell." He shrugged. "What happened when I was gone?"

"I went a little bit crazy," I admitted, leaning up against the side of the house, my arms crossed over my chest. "But you obviously figured that out from the way I commandeered the phone from Stefan earlier."

"So you _did_ miss me?" he smirked, mimicking my posture by leaning against one of the columns.

"Of course, you ass." I rolled my eyes. Damon stood there, watching me with pensive eyes, a tense silence in the air. "What's on your mind?" I asked after a few moments.

"I'm just thinking," he muttered with a frown.

"About?"

"Everything. The…reality of everything that we've been through; sometimes it seems too..." Damon closed his eyes and rested his head against the aged stone. "Unbelievable." I quickly closed the space between us and put my hands on his shoulders, happy that he relaxed under my touch.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Something's bothering you; what is it?"

"I can't."

"Tell me," I insisted. Damon opened his eyes and stared into mine; there was an immeasurable amount of love there, and at the same time, an immeasurable amount of sorrow. He quickly unfolded his arms and wrapped them around my waist, pulling me into his embrace.

"It's nothing," he assured. "Don't worry about it." I wanted to believe him, I really did, but a thought echoed in my mind. _What secret is he keeping from me?_

"Time to go," Elijah chimed as he walked out of the house, soon followed by Bonnie.

"Where's Jeremy?" I asked, backing out of Damon's arms.

"I couldn't put him in danger," she shook her head. "John's staying with him to make sure he's ok."

"Alright," Alaric said as he walked towards the door to join us. "We just need the weapons from the car." He was pulling his keys from his pocket when he hit an invisible barrier. "Wha—Bonnie? What is this?"

"I can't put you in danger either," Bonnie said. "I'm sorry."

"But what if you need help?"

"Bonnie's the only weapon we need," Elijah told him. "The rest of us can protect ourselves from any danger." He turned on his heel and began to walk away, his mind set on the task at hand.

"But I can't stay here when Jenna's out there," Rick protested, slamming his hands on the barrier. "You can't do this! Damon, help me out here!"

"Sorry, buddy," Damon replied, taking my hand in his. "But she's right."

"What?" Rick looked like a kid who found out the Tooth Fairy wasn't real. "Guys! Bonnie!" His shouting stopped once we were far enough away that we couldn't see the house through all the trees.

* * *

It felt like a dream: surreal and strange. We had gotten to the quarry just as Elena fell to the ground; there was lightning and wind and fire, and Klaus' screams echoed into the night along with Bonnie's chanting. When Damon went to take care of Klaus' witch, I ran over to check on Elena. She was dead—yeah, I expected that much—and there were bloody puncture wounds from where Klaus had bitten.

Elena looked strangely at peace, and it was difficult for me to see my friend like this, lying dead on an altar of stone. Soon after, I spotted Jenna's body a foot away, a stake protruding through her chest, eyes staring lifelessly at the sky. I let out a strangled sob of grief for them both, and returned to my senses.

"Damon!" I called over my shoulder, and he was at my side in an instant. "Get her out of here."

"What about Stefan?" he asked, motioning across the clearing to his brother, who was watching the scene with pain and anger practically radiating from him.

"I'll get him back to the house," I told him. "Just go." Damon nodded and carefully picked Elena up, vanishing immediately. I rushed over to Stefan's side and pulled the remnants of a stake from his back that he was desperately trying to reach for himself.

"Where's Elena?" he asked after a few short moments.

"I told Damon to take her back," I replied. "You need to go too; she'll need you there when she wakes up."

"No," Stefan shook his head. "I'm not leaving until he's dead. You can go now."

"I'm not leaving either," I informed him. I asked Stefan if he was able to stand, but he said he wasn't strong enough yet; all the while, I listened to Klaus' screams with satisfaction, happy that the world would finally be rid of him.

Soon enough, Elijah appeared from the shadows, approaching Klaus; a clenching sensation erupted in my chest as Elijah plunged his hand into Klaus', ready to kill him. I could only peg it to anxiousness and anticipation.

"I didn't bury them at sea," Klaus choked out. "Their bodies are safe; if you kill me, you'll never find them." I knew how much Elijah grieved for his family, how much he missed them; he had told me of the way Klaus had killed them, one by one over the years; it was one of the things he and I discussed when he held me at the Martins' apartment.

"Elijah, don't listen to him," Stefan pleaded, finally gaining enough strength to stand up.

"I can take you to them," Klaus said. "I give you my word…Brother."

"Do it and I'll take you both out," Bonnie threatened.

"You'll die," Elijah said.

"I don't care," she sneered at him. He looked at Klaus, and then at Stefan and Bonnie, and finally focusing on me.

"Don't, Elijah," I begged him. "Think about your actions; please don't do it."

"I'm sorry," he apologized. Before any of us could even do anything, there was a blur and they were gone.

"No." I shook my head and tried to run after them, knowing they wouldn't go far, but Stefan grabbed me before I could. "NO! He promised; I trusted him!"

"Miranda, we can't do anything about it," Stefan said. "They're gone."

"I trusted him," I whispered as I stared at the roaring fire, tears slowly rolling down my cheeks.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I got back to the witch house as quickly as I could, careful not to drop Elena's body on the way as I was afraid I would because of the side effects of the werewolf bite. The sun was just rising, making the sky a soft shade of blue.

I pushed the door to the witch house open with my foot and brought Elena to the living room, gently setting her down on the old sofa. A rush of footsteps erupted from the stairs down the hall, and Rick and Jeremy quickly walked in the room.

"How is she?" Jeremy asked.

"I don't know yet," I replied with a shrug. "We're just going to have to wait."

"What about Jenna?" Rick asked. I frowned and looked over at him silently; he got a heartbroken expression on his face and I knew he understood. "No."

"I'm sorry Jeremy," I said, expressing my condolences. I stood up and put my hands in my pockets; I didn't know if it took this long for Bonnie's spell to work, so we waited in silence, hoping Elena would wake up soon.

"Is she up yet? Is she alright?" Stefan's frantic voice soon reached my ears, and shortly after he ran into the room, kneeling beside Elena and brushing the hair from her face. Bonnie and Miranda followed shortly after, and I frowned when I noticed tear tracks on Miranda's cheeks.

"What happened?" I whispered softly so only she could hear. She looked at me and shook her head sadly.

There was a loud gasp and we all looked to see Elena sit up, struggling for air.

"Elena!" It was a collective exclamation from all of us.

"What?" Elena struggled to speak.

"Take your time," Stefan soothed her. "How do you feel? Is there anything wrong?"

"No," she shook her head. "I feel fine." I felt Miranda take my hand and squeeze it in relief, she looked up at me and smiled, tears in her eyes. I pulled on her hand and began to lead her out of the room.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Elijah," she stated simply as we made our way down the hall.

"Where is he?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "He didn't kill Klaus; they ran."

"What?" I hissed. "That conniving son of a—"

"Damon," Miranda interrupted. "Stop it. We can't…we can't change what's already happened." I could see the betrayal and sadness in her eyes, and immediately took her into my arms.

"You're hurt," I stated.

"Yeah," she sighed. "It didn't have to be this way."

"Everything will be alright in time," I said, hating the way it felt to lie to her. "You'll see." Miranda turned her head so she could look up at me.

"I know, but—Oh my God!" She pushed away from me and looked outside. "John!" I turned in the direction she was looking and was shocked when I saw John Gilbert, his body sprawled out on the ground.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I was sitting on my bathroom counter, staring blankly at the perfectly tiled wall across the room from me, and I was thinking. I had told Elijah that my mind was so bombarded by thoughts that it was almost as if I wasn't thinking of anything, but now, my thoughts were slow and sluggish. I imagined them as little bubbles stuck in strawberry gelatin.

I frowned and fingered the hem of my black dress nervously; I hated funerals, not that I had been to very many. It was easier when you didn't really know the person who was being packaged neatly in a box and lowered into the ground; pay your respects, offer your condolences…done. This was entirely different, though. Jenna had been my friend, and John…while those years he spent trying to hunt me down and kill me weren't the best of my life, he still wasn't the biggest jackass I knew.

"Found you a pair of shoes," Damon said as he walked into the bathroom, a grey shoebox in his hands. He was wearing a deep, navy blue button-down shirt with black pants and black dress shoes; his jacket, I knew, was downstairs on the couch. As dashing as he looked, it wasn't really an occasion where I could voice it.

"Thanks," I replied quietly. I was mourning my own loss today, and although it wasn't one like Elena or Jeremy had to face, it sucked the life out of me. It hurts when someone you care for, someone you trust, betrays you; I'm sure Elijah knew that feeling more than I did, so it confused me how he could trust such a manipulative monster as Klaus.

Damon walked over and placed the shoebox down next to me on the counter. He opened it and pulled my little black ankle boots from the tissue I wrapped them in to keep them perfect and safe, then knelt down on the floor.

"One," he muttered, slipping one shoe on my left foot, and then "two" when he put the other on my right. He stood up at me and smiled. "Perfect fit, Cinderella."

"You think your funny?" I asked.

"I _know_ I'm funny," he replied. "I want to make you smile." Damon cupped my face in his hands. "Come on. Little smile?" he asked gently. "For me? You know that your smiles make my life a little bit brighter." I sighed and rolled my eyes at his antics, a small smile making its way onto my lips.

"There," he smiled back. "Was that so difficult?"

"No," I shook my head. He leaned in and caught my lips with his, kissing me softly. The faint sounds from my doorbell came from downstairs, and Damon sighed, pulling away.

"I guess it's time to go," he said. He helped me off the countertop and grabbed my hand so we could go.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I stood away from the rest of them, watching silently as Elena placed roses on Jenna, John, and her parents' graves. The air was calm and the sun was shining brightly, and if it were any other day it would have been perfect, but the grief that everyone shared ruined it.

I looked to the ground as Rick dropped a rose on Jenna's grave, next to Elena's, and felt that Jenna's death was somehow my fault. If Tyler Lockwood hadn't bit me, it would probably be me six-feet-under instead. I frowned and thought about my impending death—it could happen tomorrow, or next week—and wondered who would visit my grave. Miranda looked over at me with tears in her eyes and forced a smile; I smiled back, but it quickly melted away once she wasn't looking.

Eventually, once the quiet, private ceremony was over, Stefan approached me, looking over his shoulder to make sure Elena was doing ok.

"Uh, we're going to head back to the house," he said. "Miranda wanted me to get you; she's driving Elena, Bonnie and Caroline."

"I think I'll skip the coffee and tea cakes," I told him, watching as the others walked out of the cemetery; Elena and Miranda were talking quietly, nodding their heads once every few seconds, and then Elena practically attacked her in a hug.

"Damon," Stefan began with a sigh. "Elena needs us right now. _All_ of us."

"And then what's the plan, Stefan?" I asked. "The curse is broken; how does one go about killing an all-powerful wolf-vamp and his two-faced older brother?"

"I have no idea," he replied.

"Well, you need to get an idea." I told him. "Fast."

"We will," my brother nodded. "We'll find a way to kill them that won't put anybody in danger; I can't get Elena lose anybody else. We'd all do better, actually, if things went the right way for once." I sighed and began rolling up my sleeve.

"Don't speak too soon, Stefan."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked with a frown.

"Tyler Lockwood bit me," I replied immediately. I quickly looked around to make sure we weren't being watched, and then I showed him my arm. "It's actually more of a nip, really, but there it is." My skin was discolored, veins protruding in a terrible way; the bite itself was festering and nauseating to look at. I quickly rolled my sleeve back over my arm, sick of seeing the reminder that I was going to die.

"We'll find something," Stefan told me. "A cure."

"There is no cure, Stefan," I scoffed.

"We kept Elena human, right?" he asked, placing a hand on my shoulder; I turned and looked away, refusing to see the guilt in his eyes. "We found a way when there was no way. Look at me." It took a second, but I finally turned my head towards him, surprised when I didn't see guilt, but determination. "What is it that Miranda always says, huh? There's always a loophole; I'll do it. I will find a cure for you."

"You want to do something for me?" I asked, backing away from him. "Don't tell Miranda."

"Why?" Stefan asked. "She deserves to know, Damon."

"No," I shook my head. "I don't want to hurt her. It would be better that she didn't know; I'll send her a letter or something as an apology."

"Damon," Stefan began, but I stopped him.

"Please," I begged. "Just to it. If not for me, then for her." Before my brother could say anything, I turned on my heel and walked away, through the cemetery, letting both my mind and my feet take me wherever I was meant to end up.

**A/N: Well, I missed Christmas, but I got another one out before the new year, and it's a long one…so that's good, I guess. Anyways, here we are now. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Reviews are always, always, ALWAYS appreciated; if I get enough reviews, I might be tempted to do a **_**Review for a Preview**_** thing that I've been doing for my Klaus/OC fic. Motivation! **

**More to come soon…**


	55. Caged in the Arms of Death

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

I woke up when I felt the bed move, but I kept my eyes closed and my breathing even; it was Saturday now, but I only knew that because when I checked my phone for any messages yesterday, it had been Friday. I felt the warm rays of sunshine pour through the windows of Damon's bedroom and hit my skin, and I sighed contentedly. I didn't want to get up yet; I was perfectly happy listening to the sounds of the shower running and Damon talking to himself inaudibly every now and then. This was good…this was what I needed to get down from the I'm-going-to-kill-Elijah-and-Klaus-with-my-bare-hands rage that I had been hiding since the morning of the funeral.

I had stopped by Elena's house for the past two days when I had to get my mail and a change of clothes from home, just so I could check up on her and Jeremy. I had knocked on the door _and_ rang the doorbell both times, listening to their muffled voices inside.

_"Don't open it Jeremy," Elena said._

_ "It's Miranda," he replied. "She probably wants to know if we need anything."_

_ "I don't want to speak with her." She released a strangled sighed and I frowned. "Not right now. Not today."_

_ "You talked to her at the…" Jeremy paused looking for the right words. "The other day, at the cemetery."I knocked on the door again, and frowned. "I'm opening it." There was a rush of footsteps and then I could hear both of their heartbeats right next to the door._

_ "No."_

The shower stopped and I slowly opened my eyes, taking a moment or two to get the droopy, tired feeling from them with no luck. I sighed and shut them again, rolling over onto my side; I reached over to the bedside table and blindly searched for my phone, effectively knocking it to the floor.

"Great." I muttered, opening my eyes and getting out of bed so I could find it, finally awake enough so I could see. I picked up my phone from the floor and checked the time. 7:15 AM. "Yeah…just great." In case I haven't made it clear enough, I'm a morning person and I rarely, as in never_,_ woke up this late on a Saturday morning. I stood up and stretched my arms above my head, reaching for the ceiling, as I stared out the window at the trees outside.

"Why are you up?" Damon asked, walking out of the bathroom fully dressed, except for his shirt, which he was buttoning up. "I thought I would let you sleep this morning."

"When are you so…hospitable?" I asked, raising an eyebrow in question. "And since when do _you_ get up this early? You're usually out until noon because you drank too much bourbon and blood the night before."

"I have things to do," he replied, going to his closet to get his leather jacket.

"Things to do?" I asked. "Like what?"

"I can't tell you." He frowned and pulled his jacket on. "You'll find out later."

"I hope it's nothing scandalous, Mr. Salvatore," I said, rushing across the room with a smirk. "Because then I might just need to add your name to my "ass-kick" list."

"I wouldn't want that," he smirked in return and placed a chaste kiss on my lips as he ran a hand through my hair. "I'll be back in a little while; you can do whatever it is you do to waste your Saturdays until then."

"I don't waste my Saturdays," I insisted as he left.

"Of course you don't," he mocked, sending a sly wink my way before leaving.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I parked my car outside Elena's house and walked inside, not bothering to knock like Miranda did because I knew that the door was always unlocked; everything was silent, except for the clock ticking in the dining room and two heartbeats upstairs.

It had been two days, and the bite was only getting worse; I was feeling dizzy more often and the only thing I could drink without feeling like I was going to vomit was alcohol, but I did manage a glass of blood here and there. I put up an act, though, for Stefan—who kept shooting me cautious, worried glances whenever we were in the same room—and for Miranda—who didn't know that anything was wrong at all. If I was going to die—what am I saying, "if"—_since_ I was going to die any day now, I needed to make sure everything was right again. For her. Because the only thing worse than knowing I was going to die, was thinking that she wouldn't want to live anymore because of it.

I frowned and quickly made my way up the stairs, stopping and crossing my arms over my chest when I saw Elena slowly backing out of Jenna's bedroom, closing the door as she went.

"It'll get easier," I said, causing her to jump in surprise and look at me. "But you know that."

"What do you want?" Elena asked, her voice tired.

"I want to apologize," I told her. Elena looked to the floor and then back at me.

"Damon…" she began.

"Please, Elena." I stopped her. "Feeding you my blood was wrong."

"Yes, it was," she nodded.

"I don't deserve your forgiveness, but…" I thought of the best way I could word it. "I would really appreciate it if you could stop giving Miranda the cold shoulder."

"It's been two days Damon," Elena said. "_Two days_. You were only doing what Miranda didn't want to, because she's too nice to—"

"Then why are you treating her like she did something wrong?" I asked.

"Because I'm sure the thought of forcing me to drink her blood definitely crossed her mind," Elena replied. "And I need some time."

"Ok," I replied, unconvinced.

"Believe me, Damon," she sighed. "Miranda's my friend; I know she regrets offering her blood at all…and I know she wants to make sure Jeremy and I are doing alright, but I just need to get through this my way." I nodded and was about to leave when I stopped and looked over my shoulder at her.

"Did Stefan tell you?" I asked.

"Tell me what?" she asked with a frown.

"Nothing," I said with a forced smile. "I'll see you later."

* * *

I walked into the boarding house, my stomach aching with hunger. I groaned and took my jacket off, throwing it haphazardly onto one of the chairs in the living room so I could seek refuge in my old friend: Mr. Booze. In a moment of curiosity as I was drinking my hunger away yesterday, I wondered if the supply of liquor in the house was going to be severely depleted by the time I died; the thought was quickly chased away with another glass of whiskey.

I took a full bottle of scotch from the cabinet, walked over to the table in the living room and poured myself a glass, placing the bottle on the table when it was filled to my liking. And then I drank, my thoughts and worries disappearing with the pleasant burn of the scotch going down my throat. I curiously pulled my sleeve up enough to see how bad the bite was getting, then sighed and shook my arm to cover it again.

I looked up at the thick red curtains that blocked the sun from coming inside and I walked over to the window, tugging on the string so the sunlight would hit my face. I looked up at the blinding ball of burning gas and smiled, knowing that I had found the perfect way to quickly solve this problem. Stefan wouldn't have to find a cure, Miranda wouldn't have to see me suffer, and I wouldn't have to go insane waiting for the moment that I would eventually die.

I downed the rest of my scotch and placed the glass on the table next to the bottle, then I stood in front of the window, right in the middle of the block of light it allowed in. I tugged my ring from my finger, rolling it between my thumb and forefinger for a second, before letting it drop to the ground. _Here Comes the Sun._

I felt my skin begin to blister and sizzle from the light; the pain made me want to run away, but instead, I lifted my arms out to the sides, as if I was welcoming death to come and get me. The pain got worse, and I knew that it was only a matter of time before it would be over.

Then I felt something hit me in the side, knocking me off my feet and into a shadow. I looked up to find Miranda, staring at me with wide eyes and an open mouth, giving her the perfect speechless expression.

"Get off of me," I said, trying to push her away, but she was adamant in keeping me there so she pinned me to the ground.

"What the hell are you thinking!" she yelled. "Do you want to kill yourself?"

"Yes," I growled.

"What?" she asked, totally caught off guard by my answer.

"What's going on?" Stefan asked, running into the room frantically.

"He was standing in the sun without his ring," Miranda replied, pointing to it on the floor; Stefan picked it up and handed it to her. She quickly put it back on my finger, but I wasn't paying attention; instead, I was looking at my brother, knowing what his glare meant, and I shook my head.

"Tell her," Stefan said as Miranda stood up.

"No," I replied as she pulled me to my feet.

"You can't do this, Damon," he began.

"I just did," I scoffed. "You know what happened to Rose, Stefan."

"Why are you two talking about Rose?" Miranda asked.

"It doesn't matter," I said, quickly trying to pull my ring off again. Before I could, the world became a blur and came back when I was thrown onto a dirt floor. There was a resounding bang, and when I looked up, I found Stefan standing behind the closed door of the cellar, looking at me with disappointment. Surely, after a few seconds, Miranda joined him with a look of absolute confusion on her face.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Do you want to tell her?" Stefan asked, watching me. "Because she needs to know. Now."

"Then by all means, brother," I said, making a grand sweeping gesture with my arm. Stefan rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Tyler bit Damon the other night," he told her. "When you were rescuing him and Caroline from the tomb." Miranda's head snapped toward me immediately, a blank expression plastered on her face like a mask. The door burst open and she was at my side at an instant, her intense gaze on my face.

"Where?" she asked.

"God damn it, Miranda! I—"

"Where is it?" she repeated.

"Arm," I replied with some reluctance. When she pulled my sleeve up and saw the bite, her fingers twitched slightly, as if she was ready to slap a hand over her mouth in shock, but her expression remained blank.

"It's not that bad," she said after a few seconds of silence.

"Not that bad?" I asked.

"Well it's bad, but it could be worse," Miranda's eyes moved up to meet mine. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"He didn't want you to be hurt," Stefan answered for me.

"And _not_ telling me wouldn't hurt if you died?"

"When," I corrected. "_When_ I die."

"Oh, please," she scoffed, standing up. "You're not going to die."

"You don't sound so convinced," I told her as she walked back out into the hall, closing the cellar door behind her.

"I'm worried, and I'm thinking about it," she replied with a dry laugh. "So no, I'm not totally convinced, but I have faith."

"See Damon," Stefan asked. "Miranda's not giving up on you; we'll find a cure."

"Good luck," I deadpanned.

"I'm going to ask Bonnie if she can find anything," he continued, ignoring my comment.

"Calling in the cavalry?" I asked. "For little old me? You know it isn't worth all the trouble Stefan. Just say your goodbyes and that'll be enough." There was a sudden compacted feeling in my chest, all the air squeezing out of my lungs, and I began coughing; I ended up hunched over on the ground, coughing and wheezing, until a large spatter of blood ended up on my hand. I looked up at Miranda and Stefan.

"Ah." I wheezed in pain. "Happy now?"

"Just shut up and rest," Miranda said with sorrowful eyes. "You need your strength." Stefan nodded in agreement and then left, Miranda following shortly afterwards.

I put my head on the ground and closed my eyes; dying sucked.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I sat at the kitchen counter, the cup of coffee I had made before finding Damon trying to cook himself was sitting on the countertop, forgotten and cold. My ran a hand through my hair and put my phone up to my ear, listening to the endless ringing. I was a cooking pot of emotions; hurt because Damon kept it a secret, happy that he did it because he cared, sad for the pain he had to go through, and determined to help Stefan find the cure for the bite. I sighed when the ringing finally stopped and I could hear music and other noises in the background.

"Sorry, you've reached somebody who's currently not operating," Alaric answered with a slurred voice.

"Well, I that's good, because I don't need drunk Alaric's help, I need normal Alaric's help. Could you put him on the phone please?" I asked.

"Oh, very funny Miranda," he sighed. "But in case you don't remember, I'm not allowed to help. I just get to sit by and wait nervously while my girlfriend gets sacrificed on an altar of blood."

"You know it wasn't my decision to keep you in the house, Rick," I told him. "Even if it was, Bonnie's the one who put up the spell, so you get to take it up with her."

"I'll do that," he replied. "But right now I just want to spend some quality time with the Grill's well-stocked bar, so if you'll excuse me—"

"I don't need your help Rick," I snapped. "Damon does."

"What?" he asked.

"Tyler Lockwood bit Damon the other night and he's dying," I replied, the pain in my chest getting worse with every moment. "So are you in our not, because if you're not going to help, I can easily find someone else." There was a long pause, and I was sure that Rick was either thinking, or had died of alcohol poisoning.

"What do you need?" he asked. I smiled in triumph and sighed.

"Could you come and babysit for a while?" I asked. "Stefan and Bonnie are doing some digging and I need to meet them there; I can't leave Damon alone."

"Yeah, I'll be there in a few minutes," Alaric replied.

"Thank you."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I stared up at the ceiling; the body aches were getting worse and I couldn't do anything except wait. What was I waiting for, though? Was I waiting for Miranda and Stefan to come back with a cure? Maybe I was waiting for death to come and get me already? I groaned in pain as a particularly painful stabbing sensation went right through my chest, and my head rolled to the side.

_ There was a white door; I was in a hallway. The blue wallpaper was familiar, very familiar, but I couldn't place it…_

_ I walked down the hall and stopped in front of the door, looking inside as the curiosity got the better of me. Katherine Pierce; she had already been with us for weeks now, and despite the fact that I knew my brother was infatuated with her, I felt very drawn to her. Miranda had been very distant as of late, our meetings and conversations short and impersonal, and as much as my love for her was, I couldn't help but wonder if Katherine…_

_ I shook my head and frowned; where had these thoughts come from? I loved Miranda, so much; why would I—_

_ "Mr. Salvatore," Katherine called out to me from her place in front of her vanity table. "Spying on a lady is a sign of very poor manners," I bashfully looked to the ground and then back up to find her looking at me._

_ "My apologies, Miss Katherine," I replied. My father had taught me better manners, but I had been so caught up in my own thoughts that I hadn't realized what I was doing._

_ "But," Katherine stopped me as I was about to continue down the hall. "Since you are here, my corset strings seem to be knotted. I wonder if you can undo them."_

_ "Of course," I smiled politely and walked into the room. Katherine stood up and waited for me in front of the full-length mirror next to the table. I slowly approached and began undoing the knotted strings, wondering how they could become such a mess._

_ "You will be leaving to go back to General Groom's army in a few days, am I correct?" Katherine asked. I looked up and caught her eyes in the mirror._

_ "Y-yes," I stammered._

_ "Will you miss me while off defending the South?" she asked in a hypnotic, seductive tone. I stared into her dark brown eyes through the mirror, unable to break her gaze despite something in my mind screaming for me to._

_ "I…" I paused. "I shall."_

_ "Then I hope you will hurry back," she said with a smirk. "I fear I will be lonely with you away." Why was she saying such things? Staring into her eyes, I wondered if it even mattered._

_ "I would think…" I paused again, closing my eyes for a brief moment. "I would think Stefan would be company enough. He cares about you very much." Katherine then turned around to face me, staring into my eyes as she placed a cold hand to my cheek; her touch wasn't electric like Miranda's was, but as I stared into her eyes, it was beginning to feel right._

_ "Is it so wrong for me to want you both?" she whispered. A smile fought its way onto my mouth, the image of Katherine and me pushing away all the previous thoughts that occupied my mind._

_ "Damon?" a familiar, sweet voice reached my ears and I abruptly turned around. Standing at the door, her head tilted to the side in a curious expression, was Miranda…but at the same time it wasn't her. What trick was this? I pulled away from Katherine and slowly approached her, and once I was close enough, I couldn't help but touch her and make sure she was real. Her blouse was made of a soft, gauzy material, cinched at the waist by a black leather corset; I carefully ran my fingers over the shining gold buckles, smiling slightly at the memory of fumbling with them the night we first…_

_ "Damon, look at me," Miranda whispered and I looked back up to her face. "I needed you to be stronger; you could've been stronger for me, Damon. You could have done it; you know it's true right here," she said, placing a hand over my chest, right over my heart. "She used you and you hurt me…because you weren't strong enough."_

_ There was a hand on my arm suddenly, pulling me away, and I tried to fight against it._

_ "You need to stay strong," Miranda said with a smile, taking my hands in hers. "Don't give up Damon; stay strong for me. I need you to have faith; everything will be ok. I'll try to make everything ok, just don't give up." The grip on my arm grew stronger and pulled me back, my hands slipping from Miranda's._

_ Katherine's smile was the first thing I saw, and as she ran her hands over my chest and up to my shoulders._

_ "Promise me that you will return quickly," Katherine drawled._

_ "I…I…promise," I mumbled. I glanced back to the door; Miranda was gone, and the room suddenly felt colder._

"Miranda!" I shouted, my eyes darting around the cellar, looking for her. She was gone, Katherine was gone, and everything had gone back to normal. I closed my eyes and rested against the mound of dirt behind me; I was alone.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"What?" I exclaimed as I drove; I was already half-way through the forest to the witch house when Stefan sprung the "Klaus has the cure" bomb on me. I mean, because my day couldn't get any worse, right?

"Yeah," Stefan sighed. "I'll wait for you outside of Alaric's building."

"Fine," I rumbled, making a quick, and most likely very dangerous, U-turn. "I'll be there in a bit." I pressed the "End Call" button and pulled off to the side of the road, placing my head on the steering wheel in frustration. And then, in a desperate attempt to change the world I was living in, I banged my head against it multiple times, successfully getting the horn to beep over and over and over.

"Why?" Bang. _Beep_. "Why?"Bang. _Beep_. "Why?" Bang. _Beep_.

Before I could do it again, my phone began to ring. I picked it up from the passenger's seat and answered it.

"This is Miranda. I hate my life," I answered in a singsong way.

"Miranda? This is Elena," she said from the other end. "I…are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm just daring this day to get worse, you know?" I laughed bitterly. "How can I help you?"

"I wanted…I wanted to apologize for the way I've been behaving the last couple of days," she replied. "Not answering your calls, telling Jeremy not to answer the door…"

"It's not your fault," I told her. "You're going through some difficult stuff Elena, I understand."

"Well, Stefan told me what's going on with Damon just a little while ago." Elena sighed and then continued. "He stopped by the house this morning and asked if I would forgive you for the…for the blood thing. I didn't understand why until just now and I wanted to know if you needed any help."

"Alaric's over at the boarding house now making sure he's not, I don't know, making it worse by overexerting himself; not that Rick's the best chaperone right now anyways. If you want to stop by later to see how things are going, I would really appreciate it, but be careful. Rose was a bloodthirsty psycho by this time after she got bitten and I really don't want to make your life any worse."

"Yeah," Elena replied. "I can do that. I'll call you if anything changes, okay?"

"Will do," I smiled. "I have to go now, so I'll see you later." I ended the call and took a deep, calming breath.

"It's now or never."

* * *

"You made it," Stefan said, pushing himself away from the wall of the building as I got closer.

"The stupid _Gone with the Wind_ thing is making traffic terrible. I couldn't find a parking space," I shrugged.

"Yeah, Bonnie had to drop me off down the street earlier," he replied, then opened the door for me. "Come on." We quickly made our way up the stairs, but Stefan stopped me once we got to the door to Alaric's apartment.

"I want you to promise me that you're not going to do anything…stupid," he said.

"Excuse me?" I asked with a frown.

"You have to ignore the fact that Elijah betrayed us for now," Stefan explained. "We're here for Damon's sake; don't let your anger get in the way."

"You have no faith in me at all, do you Stefan?" I asked.

"I-I—"

"Just open the door."

"Ok," he nodded and took a deep breath, then twisted the doorknob. The entire apartment was silent, and everything looked like it had been untouched for days, and I frowned when my gaze reached the small bedroom area and a very pissed of looking—

"Hello Katherine," Stefan said as we walked into the apartment.

"Two day," Katherine sneered, stood up and approached us. "I've been waiting for two days. I'm supposed to be free for Klaus' compulsion by now! He's supposed to be dead."

"There was a little…snag in the plan," I told her.

"A snag?" she asked, her eyebrows jumping so high on her forehead that she might have won an Olympic Gold medal for it. "Well isn't that _nice_. I'm probably going to end up trapped in this place for the rest of eternity!"

"Look," Stefan stopped her. "It doesn't matter; we need to find him. Do you know where he might be."

"Sorry," she looked over at me and then back to Stefan. "Can't help you."

"Well, well, well," a smooth voice—one which had become very grating to listen to—said from behind us. "I didn't know I was expecting visitors." I turned around and found Klaus walk into the apartment, with Elijah following behind him slowly, his eyes on me in a sad way.

"You," Klaus said, gesturing towards Stefan. "You just keep popping up, don't you?"

"Oh cut the crap," I snapped at him. "We need your help."

"_My_ help?" he asked. "Oh dear Miranda, you just tried to kill me. Why would you need _my_ help?"

"It's for my brother," Stefan explained. Klaus paused and gave Stefan a pensive stare.

"Well, whatever it is, he's gonna have to wait a tick." Klaus replied. "You see, I have an obligation to my brother that requires my immediate attention." As he walked past us and into the bedroom area, Elijah took a hesitant step forward and then a confident one, slowly approaching me.

"Miranda," he began, but I quickly cut him off.

"Don't say anything to me," I told him. "You have _nothing_ to say to me!"

"You have to understand, Miranda," Elijah said. "My family…my brother gave me his word that he would reunite me with them."

"And so I shall." I looked over Elijah's shoulder as he turned around, and found Klaus standing there, driving the white oak ash dagger into Elijah's chest as he screamed.

"Shh," Klaus shushed him as Elijah clutched his shoulder as if he was hanging on to life itself. Soon after, he fell to the ground, dead.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk Miranda," Klaus said, stepping over Elijah's body to stand in front of me. "I thought you would've been a little emotional after seeing him die. But I guess he doesn't mean anything to you anymore, after having let you down time and time again. I suppose you have a heart of stone now when it comes to disappointments."

"You're one to talk. You have no heart," I sneered. Klaus smirked and walked past me towards the kitchen.

"Now that all the festivities are over," he began, ripping a blood bag open to pour its contents into a glass. He turned around and looked at Stefan and me with an amused glint in his eye. "What is it that I can help you with?"

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I groaned, rolling my head to the side weakly so I could get a look at the bite. Still terrible; no surprise there. I had been sitting here for the last hour, coughing blood onto the ground every now and then, as I tried to distinguish reality with my hallucinations. Dying sucked, and this was twice as bad, seeing as I was already dead.

"Well that looks bad," Alaric's voice rang into the cellar. I turned my head toward the door and found him looking in through the little barred window.

"It feels worse," I groaned. "My subconscious is haunting me, Rick. Please tell me that you have something for that."

"Double shot," he replied, placed a glass between the bars, and began pouring scotch into it.

"That's good," I said and pushed myself up from the ground so I could get it. I braced myself against the door as I felt my legs give out, thankful that I didn't fall, because the pain would've been excruciating. I picked up the glass and began to drink, the liquor burning its way down my dry throat. "Did my brother send you on suicide watch?"

"Miranda asked if I could keep an eye on you," he said with a shrug. "She's worried."

"I can understand why Stefan wants to play hero; he's trying to right the wrongs of the past. But Miranda…I don't know." I sighed heavily. "She's one thing I regret leaving when I die," I admitted. "We didn't get enough time together."

"Tell me about it," Rick muttered. A terrible stabbing pain erupted in my chest and I bent over, coughing slightly.

"Why are you even here, man?" I asked, my voice raspy. "You should _want_ me dead. I'm the reason Jenna died."

"I don't blame you for Jenna," he replied.

"Oh sure you do," I said, standing up to look at him. "And let's not forget I turned your wife into a vampire. You must really hate me for that."

"Ok," he sighed. "Gimme your glass. Neither one of us is drunk enough for this conversation." I quickly finished the contents of my glass, but instead of pushing it through the bars to give to him, I stuck my arm out and clutched his throat in my hand. Rick's eyes widened and he made a very loud choking sound.

"Kill me," I begged, my insides burning and my outsides freezing. "Please."

"Screw you," he rasped, and then he stabbed me in the arm with one of his handy-dandy vervain darts, and I let go, my weak body suddenly weaker, and I fell to the floor.

"Ah," I groaned. "Not…not cool, man."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"Tyler Lockwood bit Damon the other night," Stefan explained, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "He's going to die."

"Good for him," Klaus said dryly. "Tell me something I don't already know."

"The witches said you had a cure," Stefan continued.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," Klaus shrugged.

"Well, do y—" Stefan began, but I quickly interrupted.

"What do you want?" I asked. "You're not just going to hand the cure over without any personal gain, so what do you want?"

"You want to make a deal with me?" Klaus asked, suddenly interested. He looked over at Stefan. "Are you as willing to make a deal as Miranda is?"

"Yeah," Stefan nodded. "Just give us the cure; we'll do anything you want."

"Alright then…" Klaus' smirk grew and he turned to me. "Miranda, you can go now. Tend to your meddling boyfriend and make sure he stays alive a little bit longer, while I negotiate the terms and conditions of our deal with Stefan here."

"What?" Katherine and I asked in stereo.

"Let's have a little chat, shall we?" Klaus asked. He quickly walked over and grabbed my arm and pulled me out the door, into the hallway.

"What are you doing?" I snapped as soon as he closed the door behind him.

"I'm being generous," he replied. "You see, 500 years ago, I thought you would be a useful weapon if I could just push the right buttons, but it didn't work. If I try again, I will get the same result."

"What are you talking about?" I frowned.

"I'm going to be leaving Mystic Falls quite soon, Miranda," he continued. "And while you and I were very close friends once upon a time, you are _useless_ to me. Stefan on the other hand…"

"No," I stopped him, knowing exactly what he was referring to. Stefan was just starting to overcome his crazy ripper habits when I stumbled upon him and Lexi in the late 20's. I wasn't just going to let Klaus destroy 90 years of diligence and perseverance for his own power-hungry psychosis. "You can't. You want a sidekick, fine. I'll do whatever you—"

"You have a soul, Miranda," Klaus stopped me this time. "No matter what I'll ask you to do, who I'll ask you to kill, I am quite positive that you will resist. Unless you're the ticking time bomb you were when I first met you, and I'm quite sure that you are very far from that no matter how dangerous you are at this point in time, you are not what I need in a "sidekick.""

"Fine," I huffed. "That's just…fine."

"So, I'll ask you once more to leave, so I can continue on with my negotiations," he began and then smirked. "Unless you want Damon to die?"

"Alright then," I sighed and I turned on my heel to leave.

"And Miranda," I heard Klaus call to me as I got to the stairs. I turned and looked at him, shocked at the sudden distant sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry." I looked down at the floor and then back up at him, nodding quickly, and then I left, and praying to whatever God there was that Stefan would be strong enough to hold onto his self-control.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I groaned loudly at the painful burning sensation in my throat, and I knew that I couldn't hold my hunger off any longer.

"I need blood," I said weekly, my mouth dry and my words raspy. "I need blood."

"One second," Alaric sighed and I could hear him walk away, down the hall where we kept the freezer. _Oh, not again_, I thought weakly as the world swayed, despite the fact that I was sprawled out on the floor. I wrenched my eyes shut and wished that I could just die already.

_"Damon?" I felt fingers run through my hair and I sighed contentedly. "Damon, did you fall asleep?"I opened my eyes and looked up to see Miranda watching me with a wide smile, her eyes full of amusement._

_ "Did I?" I frowned, and then rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. "I apologize."_

_ "I suppose I chose a very…boring book to read, so I don't blame you," she giggled. I sat up, suddenly bashful at the realization that my head had been resting in her lap as she read, despite the fact that we had been in many more…intimate situations than that. I looked up at the house, thinking back on the conversation father and I had the year before, a few weeks before I had left for the army. I hadn't wanted to leave, and I hadn't wanted to listen to him about the matter either, but I did. This, though, couldn't wait any longer; I needed to get it off my chest._

_ "Miranda…have you ever considered…well, what I meant to ask is, if you've ever wanted to—"_

"I wouldn't go in there," Alaric's distant voice reached my ears and I frowned. What was going on?

_"Damon, are you feeling alright?"Miranda asked, scooting across the picnic blanket to place her hand on my forehead. "Maybe I should go inside and get—"_

_ "No," I stopped her, pulling her hand away and clutching it tightly in mine. Maybe she was right; maybe I was starting to get ill. There had been a dull ache in my chest for the past few minutes, but I had been sure it was just the anxiety. "I'm fine. Please, just stay; I'll be alright if you stay."_

_ "Damon, I'll just be gone for five minutes," she shook her head and pulled her hand gently from mine, despite my iron grip on it. "I promise, I'll be back." She stood up, quickly adjusting her peach-colored dress and then backed away from me, frowning. "Don't worry. I'll be right back with something that'll make you feel better."_

"I just want to talk to him," another person—Liz?—said, her voice closer this time.

_ "Miranda!" I yelled as she disappeared, using her vampire speed to get to the house much quicker. "Miranda, don't go! Please!"  
_ "Miranda," I murmured and looked around the cellar with wide eyes, wondering why the world had suddenly changed into this harsh, dark place. I swallowed and winced at the burning sensation in my throat; where was Alaric with the blood I had asked for? That didn't matter, I needed to find Miranda; she would make everything better again, she promised she would.

With newfound strength, I pushed myself up from the ground and was about to go to the door, when it burst open and Liz walked in. I quickly rushed behind her and grabbed her, throwing her into the wall; I needed to get out of here, and nothing was going to get in my way.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I walked down the street, jingling my keys in my hand impatiently so I wouldn't be fumbling with them once I reached my car; I needed to get back to the boarding house to see how Damon was doing, and hopefully, it would take my mind off whatever terrible things Stefan was doing so Klaus would give him the cure.

"Miranda!" I turned around and forced a smile when I saw the Sherriff approaching me quickly.

"Hey Liz," I said, trying to mask the anger and sorrow in my voice. "How are you? Enjoying _Gone with the Wind_?"

"I haven't gotten a chance, actually," she said uninterestedly. "I'm doing something for the mayor tonight."

"Oh, well I'm sure you're pretty busy," I said, going to unlock the door to my car. "It was nice seeing you."

"Miranda, I'm going to have to ask you to come with us," she said, and as I looked up, I noticed three of her deputies behind her.

"What do you m—" I would've continued, but I felt something sharp stab me in the neck, and the world went dark.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

The world was a blurry, swaying mess; I had to stop and lean against a tree or a bench so I could catch my breath and figure out where I was every now and then. I was having trouble discerning reality from my hallucinations, and the people dressed in period costumes for the movie in the park night were not helping. I just needed to find Elena or Caroline…or even Bonnie; they would help me find where Miranda or Stefan were.

I stopped in my tracks when I saw a blurry figure in a familiar lilac dress up ahead; I blinked a few times before my vision cleared and I was confused.

"Katherine?" I asked. She gazed at me with lusty, dangerous eyes, the smirk evident on her lips. She raised a hand and waved at me seductively, then looked over her shoulder at the large screen that had been put up for the movie. I followed her gaze, and when I looked back, she was gone.

"What?" I murmured in confusion.

"Damon!" I turned slightly to see Jeremy run over, helping me to stand upright when he got close enough because I was swaying slightly. "Hey, man. Easy."

"Where's...Miranda?" I asked. "I need…everything feels wrong. She needs to…"

"Ok," he nodded. "Let's just get you somewhere you can rest ok?"

"Yeah," I agreed, not really understanding what was going on. The world began to shift again, and Jeremy had to support me as we moved, since I couldn't walk on my own.

* * *

**Elena's POV**

I paced back and forth in the sheriff's office, my arms crossed over my chest, and my thoughts racing. I had only just gotten to the boarding house when Sheriff Forbes stopped me and had her deputies put me in her squad car. _"It's for your safety Elena. Please." _She had said. I knew that something was wrong; something had to be wrong if they were holding me here without a reasonable explanation.

The door opened up and I turned around, shocked to see Sheriff Forbes walk in with two of her deputies carrying an unconscious Miranda in behind her.

"Oh my God," I exclaimed and quickly ran over to where they had put her on the floor. "What did you do to her?" I was relieved to see that she wasn't dead, that there was no stake protruding from her chest, but I was still confused and concerned.

"Why do you even care?" the Sheriff asked, then she motioned towards Miranda. "You know what they are, what they do."

"Look," I sighed. "I understand why you hate them, but you're wrong!"

"They're murderers Elena. End of story," she said, and she began to open one of the drawers in her desk.

"Excuse me," a deputy said, knocking on the door before walking in. "Damon Salvatore was spotted near the Grill a few minutes ago."

"Alright," Sheriff Forbes nodded.

"Wait," I stopped her before she could leave. "You've gotta let me come with you. He's sick; he's…not himself."

She sighed and then looked at the deputy.

"Keep her here," she told him quietly. "And if the vampire starts to wake up, remember to keep her sedated with the vervain injections in my desk. I'll take care of her when I get back." The deputy nodded and the Sheriff closed the door behind her.

I frowned and continued my pacing, thinking of the possible ways I could get out of here, but I was coming up blank due to the stress of this situation. I glanced down at Miranda's unconscious form.

"I really hope you wake up soon," I muttered. "You deal with these things much better than I do." A few minutes later, after racking my brain to find myself a way out, I spotted the windows. Of course! Why hadn't I thought of it before?

I crossed the room and pulled the shutters open, then I grabbed the heavy desk chair and threw it against the window with all the strength I had, relieved when it broke the glass easily. I looked over at Miranda again and sighed.

"I'm sorry," I apologized to her, despite the fact that she wouldn't hear me. "But we really need to make sure the Sheriff doesn't get Damon." Then, I hoisted myself up and climbed out the window, careful that I wouldn't cut myself on the jagged glass.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"Someone call the Sheriff," the words were fuzzy and distant.

The next thing I heard were footsteps. They were loud footsteps and they made my head pound in a very annoying way. "Crap," I muttered, the lights overhead blinding me as I tried to open my eyes. The footsteps quickened, and then there was a very loud bang that made me sit upright.

I figured out that I was in the Sheriff's office and as I looked around, I saw that a deputy was kneeling on the floor across the room, looking through the contents of a fallen desk drawer; there was a broken window and giant shards of glass littered the floor underneath it, which made the deputy cautious in his searched. That was when I remembered the vervain. I sighed and stood up, the effects of it rapidly wearing off; I quickly crossed the room and the deputy finally noticed that I was awake.

"I'm really sorry about this," I said apologetically, and then I kicked him in the face, effectively knocking him out.

As I walked out of the office and through the virtually empty police station, my phone began to vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and quickly listened to the voicemail from my one missed call as I ran out the door and down the steps.

_"Hey Miranda. It's Rick. Damon got out of the cellar a few minutes ago,"_ I sighed in frustration and quickly turned around and headed in the other direction, figuring that I would be able to look for him better if I was on foot_. "He's in bad shape, and…I think he's hungry. I know you're probably busy, but I hope you get this before he kills someone. That…wasn't a good way to say it. Alright. I'm going to hang up now and try calling Jeremy."_

Just what I needed right now. A rabid, hungry Damon on my hands, who was going to die unless Stefan was able to hold himself together.

"I need a therapist," I muttered and rushed off.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

Walking. Coughing. Spinning. Falling. Coughing. Standing. Walking. It was a cycle that I had repeated at least 50 times since leaving the Grill. Everything was a blur; I didn't know where I was, but I knew that I needed to find someone familiar. Someone who could get me to Miranda. She would make this better, I knew that she would.

My throat was dry and scorching, but a little voice inside my head prevented me from tearing into any of the people I had been passing by. I fell down once again, and when I picked myself up, I saw Elena standing a few yards in front of me.

"Elena," I called out to her. She had been looking around frantically, but stopped and turned around, gasping audibly when she saw me.

"Damon," she exclaimed. I began to sway again as everything began to sway and shake, but Elena quickly made a move to grab me as Jeremy had. "Oh my God. Alright, it's ok."

"I need…" I shook my head, trying to regain the thought that had suddenly moved just out of reach. "I need…"

"We need to get you out of here," Elena finished for me. "The sheriff's looking for you; we need to hide you." She began walking and pulled me along.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

_"Everywhere!" Katherine ran ahead of me, dancing through the dark forest._

_ "Katherine?" I whispered in confusion. Where was Elena? What was going on?_

_ "Come on, slow poke!" Katherine called to me._

_ "Wait for me," I called back. "I want to come with you!"_

"Damon?" Elena's voice echoed hazily through the darkness. I tripped and fell to the ground, unable to catch myself. "Damon, we have to keep going." She said. "We have to get you out of here."

_ "You can't catch me!" Katherine laughed. I willed myself to run faster, and I caught up to her, pinning her against the nearest tree. She smiled slyly and ran a hand down my arm in a seductive manner._

_ "Why must you always run from me?" I asked._

_ "Because I know that you will always chase," she replied with a smirk. I frowned; Katherine would make things better. She would take my pain away._

_ "Let me chase you forever," I whispered. "I love you, Katherine. Feed me your blood; I promise I'll love you forever." Those words seemed familiar on my lips; I had said it many times before to Miranda. I meant it then; did I mean it now?_

_ "If you want it," Katherine whispered back, pulling a sharp in from her hair. "Take it." She made a thin cut on her neck and her blood slowly began seeping from it, taunting me._

"Damon, what are you doing?" Elena asked, and I looked up into her eyes with confusion. My gaze drifted down to her neck and I licked my lips hungrily; my throat felt so dry.

_"It is your choice to make, Damon." Katherine whispered, running a hand down my cheek gently. "What will you choose?"_

"I choose you, Katherine," I said with conviction. "We'll be together forever."

"Damon, stop," Elena exclaimed as I lowered my head, my fangs pushing into place as the scent of her blood reached my nose. "I'm not Katherine. It's me; Elena!"

"Forever," I muttered.

"Damon!" Miranda's voice reached my ears. "Stop what you're doing. Right now!" I suddenly got control of my surroundings, and I pulled away from Elena, realizing what was going on. I quickly backed away from her and turned around.

"Miranda," I said quietly when I saw her standing there. She was so close…yet so far.

_"Open the door, Miranda!" I cried out. "I love you. I'll always love you. Please open the door!" The door unlocked and there she stood, her face blank, and her eyes cold and distant. I will the tears I had not to fall. "Please," I begged her._

"Don't go." I whispered, taking a few shaky steps forward.

"What are you talking about?" she asked with a frown.

"I'll be strong, Miranda. Just don't leave me again," I said. My legs gave out and I was about to fall down, but Miranda quickly rushed over and caught me before I could, helping me to the ground slowly.

"It'll be ok," she said with tears in her eyes. "Everything will be ok."

"I love you, Miranda," I told her gently, lifting a shaky hand and running it over her cheek. "I need you. Don't leave me, please."

"I'm not going anywhere," she whispered, pushing my hair out of my eyes. "I promise."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I was laying next to Damon on his bed, watching him sweat and struggle to take a breath; I reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the washcloth out of the bowl of ice water I had brought up, wringing it out, and then I gently wiped it over his face. His skin felt unnaturally warm, almost as warm as it did when he was human…and it worried me. I put the washcloth back into the bowl and turned back to Damon again; somewhere deep inside me the glimmer of hope that Stefan would get the cure was slowly dwindling as Damon crept closer and closer to death. As much as I kicked myself for thinking this way, I knew that it was the truth.

Right after I got Damon situated, I made sure Elena was ok and that she wasn't bitten; she had wanted to stay upstairs, but I explained that she was safer downstairs just in case.

_"Maybe I should call Stefan," Elena offered._

_ "He's with Klaus," I told her. "We don't want him to know you're alive, Elena. We just need to wait; everything will be ok."_

With every minute that passed, my tears were getting harder and harder to hold back, and now I just let them fall freely and I made sure to be silent, so I wouldn't bother Damon from whatever rest he was getting. Every now and then, he would reach over and take my hand in his, whispering that he wanted to make sure I was there, but that only made everything feel worse.

"You're staring," Damon muttered, his eyes closed. This was something I had done to him an endless number of times, but it felt odd now that I was on the receiving end of it.

"Am I?" I asked, trying to force my laugh not to sound bitter. "How do you know?"

"I can feel you," he replied softly. He began to cough uncontrollably, and I pushed myself upright and tried to get him to relax so the coughs wouldn't be so harsh and terrible.

"It's ok," I cooed. "Shh. It's ok."

"It's not ok." He said softly. "It's not ok. Miranda…I'm so sorry."

"For what?" I asked. Damon opened his eyes and looked at me apologetically.

"For making the wrong choices," he whispered. "For being an idiot. I had you right in front of me, and I just let Katherine manipulate me like I was a puppet. I wasted all this time…pining away over her. I'm going to die…and I want you to know that you made it right again; you made me see what I should've seen in 1864. I will always love you, no matter what happens."

"Nothing's going to happen," I said, holding back the sob that threatened to come out. "You aren't going to die."

"Don't lie," he whispered, a small smirk making its way onto his lips. On his deathbed, and he's still a jackass.

"Stefan will get the cure," I told him, unsure about whether I was saying it for his sake or for mine. "You'll see."

"I deserve this," he said. "I deserve to die."

"Don't ever say that, Damon Salvatore," I scolded softly. "Because if you're dead, I'm dead. So don't ever say that again."

"Then how did you live before you met me?" he asked.

"It wasn't a real life," I admitted, tears running down my cheeks. "Almost 600 years of existing…I didn't know what living was until I met you." We were silent for a few minutes, just watching each other.

"Maybe somewhere in another universe…there's a Miranda and a Damon that found each other at the right time and had the life we were supposed to have," I suggested.

"Maybe…but their story wouldn't be as epic as ours is," he rasped, and then began coughing again. The sorrow that the goodbye we shared the other day gave me was not even in the same ballpark as the sorrow I felt right now. I leaned forwards and pressed my lips to his softly.

"I love you Damon," I whispered against his lips. "I will always love you. So much that I really want to hate you right now, but I just can't."

"Wanna know a secret?" he asked.

"What?"

"I am the happiest dying dead guy in the history of the universe," he looked into my eyes and behind all the pain, I saw that he was telling the truth. He weakly lifted a hand up and cupped my cheek. "Because I have you."

""Isn't this sweet," the mysterious onlooker says ironically." I quickly turned around and found Katherine leaning against the door with her arms crossed over her chest, smirking. "If this was a movie…I would probably be vomiting right now."

"Good thing you didn't pay to see this," I snapped at her.

"Hey," she held up her arms in surrender, and I noticed a small bottle in one of her hands. "I could leave."

"No," I shook my head. "I'm sorry…this is just..."

"I understand," Katherine walked around the other side of the bed and sat down.

"You're free?" Damon asked.

"Yep," she sighed, uncorking the little bottle and tipping it over to pour into his mouth. I frowned when I realized it was blood.

"And you still came here?"

"Well," she sighed and stood up. "I owed you one and I owed her," she gestured lazily to me. "Many."

"Me?" I asked. "For what?"

"Ruined your life…many times," she shrugged and walked back toward the door. "I never apologized for that."

"Where's Stefan?" I asked just as she was about to leave. "Is he ok?"

"Well, no…" she hesitated with a frown. "But I'm sure Elena would love to tell you that story. I was surprised to see her alive, but when she asked how Stefan was, I couldn't resist telling her."

"What—"

"See you later," Katherine then smirked. "Well, I hope not." With that, she left.

"Ugh," Damon groaned and I quickly turned back to him. He was looking much better, and when I rolled up his sleeve, the bite was quickly healing. A small smile made its way onto my lips. "What she did was…decent, but I really hate her," Damon sighed and began to push himself up, but I forced him to lie back down.

"Take it easy," I told him. "Get some rest, I'll be back in a little bit."

"Alright," he yawned, looking up at me tiredly. "Tell Elena that I'm sorry."

"I will," I got up and quickly made my way downstairs.

* * *

**Elena's POV**

I was on the couch in the sitting room, the cup of coffee in my hands now cold and probably salty from the many tears that had fallen into it. What Stefan did for Damon was...so amazing that there weren't words for it, but the sacrifice he made...it hurt so much inside.

"Elena?" Miranda's voice cut through the silence and I looked up to find her walk over to me. She sat down and took the cup from my hands, placing it gently on the table. "How're you doing?"

"I'm…confused," I told her truthfully. "I'm hurt and proud and angry…and there isn't anything I can do about it."

"What Stefan did…was admirable," she said. "He sacrificed himself for Damon, and that pride you feel will eventually outweigh the other things, because you know he did what was right."

"I've lost so many people in the last week, Miranda. In the past year…" I sobbed, my voice breaking at the end. She quickly pulled me into her arms in a comforting embrace, something my mother did when she was alive and I fell and skinned my knees playing hopscotch.

"I understand," Miranda whispered. "And everything will work out in time, but you have to be strong until then. You have Jeremy, and you have Alaric; you have Bonnie and Caroline, and Damon and me. We're all here for you, Elena. You don't need to go through it alone."

"I know," I said. "But Stefan…Stefan is the person I need the most."

In that moment, I decided that I wouldn't give up. No matter how long it took, we would find Stefan and bring him back to Mystic Falls where he belonged. I wouldn't give up…because I loved him.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"Hmm," I sighed contentedly, turning over onto my side. I pulled the blanket tighter over me as a cool breeze softly blew through my room. That was funny; I never opened my windows. I sat up and opened my eyes, rubbing them slowly to rid myself of the grogginess.

"So this is hell," I said softly to myself, surveying my surroundings. "Pretty nice for hell." I was in my room, everything exactly as I had left it the day before; the windows were open and the curtains were drawn, letting sunlight stream in brightly as well as the subtle scents of spring. I briefly considered the possibility that I was in heaven, but I knew that I didn't deserve that.

I fell back down against the pillows, trying to remember everything that had happened before…before I died. I had been…talking with Miranda…

"Miranda," I whispered, turning my head. I ran my hand over the side of the bed she usually slept on, curled into my side with her head on my chest. I wondered how she was reacting to my death.

There was a soft knock on the door and I frowned. "Come in," I said hesitantly. The door slowly opened and in walked—

"Miranda!" I quickly jumped from the bed and rushed over to her, taking her face in my hands, and I kissed her. I felt her hands on my chest, trying to push me away, but I wrapped my arms around her waist to hold her in place.

"What is wrong with you?" she exclaimed, finally pushing me away from her. I frowned; so this was hell, and my punishment was that Miranda hated me. "You'd think after coming this close to death," she pinched her fingers together so that there was a tiny space between them, "that you would try to take it easy for a day." My frown deepened. I wasn't dead?

"I'm not dead?" I asked.

"No," she laughed, a bright smile blooming across her face. "You aren't dead."

"Really?"

"A. Would I lie about something like that?" she asked, crossing the room so she could straighten out the sheets on the bed that I had completely muddled in my rush to get to her. "And B. Would you even be able to ask that question if you _were_ dead?"

I smiled and took her into my arms, kissing her lips softly. "Stefan did it," I whispered against her lips.

"Damon…there are some things we need discuss…about Stefan," Miranda said softly, and I could tell by the look in her eyes that it wasn't good. Just when things were starting to look good…

Damn it, Stefan!

**A/N: There it is, **_**As I Lay Dying**_**! End of Season 2.**

** Ok, this is the longest chapter I have written so far. I was going to split it up, but that would've just taken away from the suspenseful danger of it all. Don't get angry for having to read so much; enjoy it, because I probably won't be posting for a month.**

** Say what? Yeah, I should really elaborate on that before I get stampeded. I've already started writing some chapters in Season 3 (which I'm going to continue in **_**I Wish it Was You**_**, thanks to everyone who voted on the poll). But because of some crazy stuff going on in my life, like ACT prep and a lot of other **_**fun**_** stuff, I'm only going to be posting new stuff for **_**When Days Were Long and Pleasant**_** (the prequel to this story) and/or **_**Smoke in the Air**_** (my Klaus/OC), and only when I get a really free weekend that isn't packed with crap…**

** Do you want some season 3 love now? Well, if you enjoyed this chapter—and I really hope you did—leave a little review. I will send everyone who reviews a PM with three or four delicious snippets from the next chapter sometime next week. So unless you want to wait on the edge of your seat, wondering what the fudge I'm going to do in Season 3, you should leave a review. ****Incentives!**

** Until then, my dears…**


	56. Two Months is a Long Time

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

_"...hey Miranda, it's Elena. Jeremy told me that you brought groceries over last night, and I just wanted to say thanks for thinking of us. We haven't really gotten out of the rut that we fell into when Jenna..."_ Elena sighed. _"Anyways, thanks for being such a good friend and for making sure we don't starve...I'll see you later. Bye."_

_"To delete this message, press..."_ I ended the call to my voicemail and placed my phone down on the kitchen counter. I opened a cabinet and pulled out two mugs so I could pour the now-brewed coffee.

Two months. A lot had changed in the last two months, and surprisingly, everything felt normal…except for the obvious absence of Stefan. Elena had been spending most of her time at home or at the library pouring over articles and newspapers to see if Stefan was still alive, and no matter how many times Caroline had tried to get her to go out for a Girl's Day, Elena had downright refused each time. That, along with the fact that Jeremy was spending his summer working at the Grill and Alaric was currently crashing on the couch in their living room, was the reason I had been dropping by periodically to bring food and make sure they were alive and well.

My phone began ringing again and I reluctantly answered it; why was she calling…again?

"How can I help you Caroline?" I asked.

"Did the party store deliver the balloons yet?" she replied in a frantic voice.

"Yes. I think you went a little overboard," I told her, recalling the disastrous 7AM delivery.

"You're crazy Miranda," Caroline laughed. "This is Elena's 18th birthday. There's no such thing as overboard. She needs something uplifting in her life again."

"Do you know what the word "uplifting" means?" I asked, stirring sugar into my coffee. "She's been obsessed with finding Stefan since May. She isn't going to just forget all of it to party tonight."

"Of course she will." I heard a rustling of bags and keys. "She won't be doom, gloom and brood in front of everyone I invited."

"How many people did you invite?" I asked, my eyebrows knitting together.

"A fair few."

"Did you ever think to hold this at your house?"

"Relax Miranda," Caroline laughed. "I'll have everything under control. See you tonight." There was a beep.

"Caroline? Caroline!" I hung up the phone and stared at it in disbelief.

I sighed and walked upstairs to Damon's room, hoping that he would be awake by now. For the past 2 months I had been going back and forth between my house and the boarding house every couple of days, which made Damon so incredibly annoyed with my absence that he would sneak into my house at night when I was asleep. Waking up every morning in his arms comforted me, especially since I had been having nightmares about losing him ever since he almost died from the werewolf bite.

I walked into Damon's room and looked around. "Damon?" I called out when I saw that he wasn't still asleep.

"In here," he replied from the bathroom. I walked across the room and into the bathroom, where I crossed my arms and leaned against the counter.

"A bubble bath?" I asked. "Really?"

"Yes," he smirked. "You wanna join me?"

"I would love to, but I choose to spend my time productively."

"I hate to break it to you, but your little hobbies are boring," Damon replied blandly. "Have you called Andie yet?"

"She looked into that attack in Mississippi, but the trail went cold," I took a sip of my coffee. "I'm meeting her for lunch today so she can give me the information she has."

"Still doesn't want to talk to me?" he asked.

"Nope," I smirked. "Said she'd rather jump off a cliff."

After Stefan disappeared, Damon and I had been doing some digging of our own to see what he and Klaus were up to, and after getting hung up on 30 times in one day, Damon had asked me to make peace with Andie Star so that she could help us in our search. Surprisingly, after a very long conversation and a promise that she wouldn't have to speak to "the bloodsucking jerk," Andie agreed to help us and little by little we developed a friendship. I liked having someone to talk to who didn't just randomly choose to be mature.

"Well, I'll make sure to stay away." He took a bottle from a bucket of ice and sighed when nothing poured into his champagne flute. "Look at that, I'm out of champagne."

"I lament for you," I teased.

"Do you think you could—"

"Nope," I replied, picking up a towel and walking over to the bathtub. "Come on, lazy ass, we have things to do today." I held it out to him, but he just smirked and got a mischievous look in his eye.

Before I knew what had happened, Damon had grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the bathtub with him, getting me soaked and bubbled up. Damon maneuvered himself so I was sitting against the porcelain of the bathtub and he was hovering over me, trying to stifle a laugh.

"You're such a child," I sighed, as he pushed my now-wet hair out of my face. I looked down at my water-logged dress and groaned in frustration.

"You know you love me," he replied.

"I swear, you take advantage of that to pull shit way too much," I said, looking up at him accusingly.

"Damn," he laughed. "I thought I would get away with it." I rolled my eyes and he just kept laughing.

"I swear to God, next time you do something stupid, I'm going to—" I was cut off when Damon's lips crashed against mine in a passionate kiss that effectively shut me up. I was panting and yearning for more when he pulled away.

"Good morning," he whispered, his lips brushing against mine.

"Hmm…" I sighed. "Morning."

"What are you thinking?" he asked, staring deeply into my eyes; his were dark with desire, but there was still that spark of mischief that he could never hide.

"You kinda left me hanging there," I murmured breathlessly, leaning up to continue the kiss, but he backed away with a smirk.

"How does it feel?" Damon asked, gently tracing the edge of the skeleton key necklace; his fingertips occasionally brushed my skin, setting my nerves on fire. "You're getting a taste of your own medicine for once." I smirked and reached up, running my hand through his slightly-damp hair, my nails scraping against his scalp, earning a delicious moan of approval.

"Whatever," I replied. I quickly moved my hand around the back of his neck and pulled him forward, and once our lips reconnected, the reaction was frenzied and instinctual. It was bliss.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"I certainly hope," I muttered as I kissed down Miranda's neck, gently backing her against the wall. "That you wore this just because it matches your dress." I tugged her sleeves from her shoulders and noticed the red-and-black plaid halter bikini top that looked almost identical to the fabric of her dress. "And not because you wanted to play naughty school-girl with your secret boyfriend."

"Which one?" she teased. I growled and pulled at the sides of the dress, causing the buttons I had been struggling with to pop off and bounce and scatter across the floor.

"I think you're goal is to ruin everything in my closet, isn't it?" Miranda asked as the loud sound of fabric tearing echoed through the hallway. I tossed the remains of her dress away and cringed as the sound of a vase breaking followed shortly after.

"I guess you figured me out," I smirked as I pulled back to look into her abyss-like green eyes. "Got a punishment in mind?" Miranda smiled mischievously, her fangs elongating as her eyes changed, dark veins protruding up against her skin. I could feel my own face transfigure into an almost-identical expression, and I leaned down to capture her lips. Before I could kiss her, I felt myself crash against the opposite wall; I stared at Miranda, a primal snarl building up in my chest as my eyes roamed up her figure.

"I've got a few things in mind," she said innocently, taking a few steps backwards.

"Miranda," I said in a warning tone.

"Damon," she mimicked.

"What's going through that terrible mind of yours?" I asked, earning a smirk.

"Your dripping," she giggled. I looked down at the floor and found a small puddle of bath water and bubbles under my feet. I looked back up to find that she was gone.

"Miranda!" I called out.

"Gonna have to catch me!" her voice carried musically to my ears.

Accepting her challenge, I rushed down the hall, following my senses as they led me on a wild chase downstairs and back upstairs, through the kitchen and even outside—cheeky girl. I knew that I wasn't going to get what I want if I played her game much longer, so I took a detour down another hallway and caught Miranda by surprise, catching her in my arms as she rushed past me.

"I win," I smirked, then pressed my lips against hers. Miranda tried to hold back for a moment or two, but then just gave in and returned the kiss with as much force as I did. From that point on, everything was a blur: our bodies crashing against the walls, Miranda's legs around my waist, my hands roaming across her skin, my fingers occasionally playing with the lace trim on her underwear, one of her heels cracking a mirror as she kicked them off, our fangs clicking together as our kisses became more heated.

"OH MY GOD!" Hold on. That sounded a lot like—

"Elena?" Miranda choked out as she pulled away from me. "Oh my God."

* * *

**Elena's POV**

"It figures," I muttered as I walked into the boarding house; the front door was open, as usual. Despite all the danger that constantly made a pit stop at the house, Damon and Miranda always forgot to lock the door. I quickly tied my hair up as I made my way into the living room; Miranda had a bunch of her things scattered on the coffee table, as usual, mostly covered in bright blue post-it notes. but one thing stood out among the others and caught my eye.

"For Elena," I read as I picked up the spring green envelope. "Happy 18th Birthday" was delicately written at the very center of the envelope in Miranda's beautiful, sprawling handwriting. A small smile made its way onto my face as I opened the envelope, pulled out a very elegant-looking card.

"Hmm," I sighed in contemplation as I read what was written inside. It was easy to forget Miranda was so mature and wise when talking to her in person or on the phone, but it showed clearly in the card. On the other hand, Damon's juvenility made itself known all the time, especially in the way he had signed his name. "Love and best wishes. Miranda _and Damon_."

There was a loud noise coming from the other side of the house, closely followed by laughter and loud footsteps. I looked at my phone and rolled my eyes at the time.

"Good morning guys," I said, turning around. "I was just going to—OH MY GOD!" I slapped a hand over my eyes and turned around, blushing in embarrassment. There, in the middle of the foyer, stood Damon wearing nothing but soap suds, and Miranda in a plaid two-piece, her legs around Damon's waist. I suddenly wished I could wash out my eyes with bleach.

"Elena?" Miranda said in shock. "Oh my God."

"What do you think you two are doing?" I asked.

"We happen to live here," Damon scoffed. "_You_ should learn to knock."

"You should learn to lock your doors," I snapped. I cracked my fingers open and grabbed a blanket off the couch, then threw it over my shoulder. After a few moments of frantic whispers, I tentatively looked over my shoulder at them, and was somewhat relieved that the blanket was wrapped around Damon's waist and Miranda stood partially behind him, looking very bashful and apologetic.

"Decent enough for you?" Damon mocked.

"Sheriff Forbes gave us another location to check," I said, ignoring him. I pulled out the note from my pocket. "Memphis."

"I know you want to find Stefan," Miranda began, walking from behind Damon to take the paper from my hand. "But you need to take a beat and just relax Elena."

"What Miranda means," Damon said, moving so he could pour himself a drink. "Is that you need to stop believing that Stefan is alive and well at all these dead ends you find."

"Damon, that's not what I—" Miranda started.

"No," he snapped, cutting her off. "It has been two months, Elena. The more leads you give us, the more disappointments you get back."

"Fine," I snapped and started for the door. "I'll go by myself." Suddenly, I found Damon standing in front of me with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Right, and let Klaus know you're tracking him?" he asked. "He thinks you're dead. Let's keep it that way."

"I'm meeting Andie for lunch in an hour," Miranda said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure she has a contact in Memphis; I'll ask if she can check it for us."

"This could be it," I sighed.

"I know," Miranda gave me a comforting smile and led me to the door. "Damon and I will handle it and if anything happens, we'll let you know. Now go and enjoy the day; you only turn 18 once."

"But…" I turned around as she pushed me outside, but was met with the front door slamming shut in my face.

"Be back in time for the party," Miranda's reply was muffled by the door. I sighed and started for my car.

"I need new friends."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"So, what looks good?" I asked, picking the menu off the table as I fell into the bistro chair outside of the Grill. Andie looked up from her own menu and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Do you and Damon only ever come here to drink?" she asked.

"Do I need to answer that question?" I asked in return. Andie rolled her eyes and set her menu on the table, then pulled a manila folder out of her bag.

"I got that info you wanted," she said, handing it over to me. I opened it and quickly scanned over the pages inside. "That family in Florida you had me look into got massacred last week; the crime scene photos were not—and I stress the word "not"—pretty. Kyle did some digging and it turns out the mother has a sister in Tennessee."

"Tennessee?" I asked. "Liz found a lead earlier today in Tennessee. Damon doesn't think it's anything major, but he still wants to check it out." I handed her the slip of paper Elena gave me earlier. "Is there any way you can find that address in the next few hours?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Shouldn't be too difficult. Why do you need it so soon?"

"His Royal Highness wants to be on the road and back before Elena's party tonight," I sighed. "The sooner we get on the road, the less likely it is that he'll have a tantrum."

A waiter walked over to our table with a bottle of wine—the bartender is psychic, I swear—and took our order before shuffling away.

"I think we need some normal in this town," Andie sighed as she took a sip from her wine glass. "Vampire this, and werewolf that. Aside from the weather and sports, the news is getting pretty boring. What we need is a good, old-fashioned serial killer."

"Oh yeah. That's just what Mystic Falls needs. More drama."

"I'm serious." Andie exclaimed. "This town is way too preoccupied with the supernatural. I would love to report a few murders; I could even organize a manhunt!"

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a little insane?" I asked.

"It's part of the job description. Wanted: news anchor. Must be willing to slowly lose their sanity," she replied with a laugh.

"You honestly should consider finding yourself a new job."

"I get that all the time."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"What, exactly, do you expect to find when we get there?" Alaric asked, keeping his eye on the road. For the past two hours, we had been driving in silence through wide grassy fields and crisp blue skies. Miranda had fallen asleep in the backseat the minute we got out of Virginia, and I was starting to go out of my mind.

"Stefan—alone preferably because it would be a bitch to deal with Klaus again—drinking from some helpless humans. I could convince him that he's needed back in Mystic Falls and he would come back. No fuss."

"You're being painfully optimistic," Miranda said groggily from the backseat.

"Go back to sleep," I replied, looking back at her with a smirk; she stuck her tongue out at me. "If you keep doing that, I'll bite it off."

"Oh shut up," she laughed, kicking the back of my seat.

"Hey, could you not do that?" Rick asked. "I just had the car cleaned last week." He couldn't even get his life back together and he cared if there were footprints on the inside of his car?

My phone began ringing and I pulled it out of my pocket. "ELENA" flashed violently across the screen and I instantly pressed the ignore button. She had been calling almost nonstop since we left, leaving voicemails to see where we had gone. I was surprised she hadn't called Miranda yet, especially since she was the one who promised to tell Elena if we got any leads.

Two arms wrapped around my neck from behind the headrest and Miranda rested her chin on my shoulder.

"Elena?" she asked.

"Yep," I sighed, replacing my phone into my pocket.

"Again?"

"That's what I've been thinking," I scoffed.

"I guess I'll be expecting a call from her any time now," Miranda sighed. "Yay?"

"Oh don't pout," I scolded. Miranda rolled her eyes and flopped back into the backseat. "You know how to handle these situations better than I do."

"That is true." Rick laughed. "You tend to screw things up more often than not."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Rick. I thought you were my friend," I said, my voice heavy with irritation.

"Happy to be of assistance," he said with a smirk.

Eventually, and I do mean eventually because Rick drives like a grandmother, we arrived at a quaint-looking, white farmhouse out in the middle of nowhere. It looked…idyllic; God, I was going to be sick.

We all filed out of Rick's car and stood there in the silence; I smelled blood, and by the look on Miranda's face, I knew she could smell it too.

"It's quiet," Rick commented.

"Too quiet," I replied.

"Let's just get this over with, please," Miranda sighed. "I'd like to wash the blood off before the party starts." She began the trek up the porch, and after Rick and I shared a knowing glance, we followed her.

The front hall wasn't too bad; I could only see bloody smears and a few cracked picture frames on the walls as I tested the door. The living room, though, was a sight.

"Ugh," Rick groaned in disgust as he peaked inside and saw the bodies propped in a sitting position on the sofa. "Vampire for sure."

"Stefan for sure," I replied.

"How do you know?" he asked.

"It's kinda his thing…" Miranda said sheepishly. "They don't call them rippers for nothing."

"He feeds until he blacks out," I explained, walking over to the sofa. "Then rips them apart. But when he's done, he feels remorse; it's the damndest thing." I smirked slightly as a sick idea made its way into my mind; Miranda was going to kill me.

I stuck my foot out and nudged the blonde's leg lightly; almost immediately, her head fell forward and onto the floor with a hollow thud.

"Oh God, Damon!" Miranda scolded, slapping my arm. "That's disrespectful…and disgusting."

"Don't be such a baby," I said with a smirk, earning another slap in the arm.

"He puts them…back together?" Rick asked, taking another step into the room to examine the bodies closer.

"Definitely Stefan."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

The shed out in back of the house was spick and span; a much needed break from seeing all the blood and gore inside. How did I know? Damon insisted on coming outside and looking for a way to "destroy the evidence" as he put it.

I was about to make a snarky remark as I watched him dig through the junk, but my phone began to ring. I pulled it out of my pocket and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Miranda!" Oh crap. "Finally, where are you guys?" Elena asked.

"Uh…We're out running errands," I lied.

"Found it!" Damon exclaimed as he pulled a large, red gasoline tank from underneath a pile of plywood.

"What was that?" Elena asked.

"Nothing," I told her, then put my hand over the phone. "Thanks a lot, stupid."

"Love you too, sweetie," Damon smirked, pressing a quick kiss to my lips before rushing back into the house.

"Caroline, Tyler and I are just starting to set up decorations," Elena began. "We were wondering if you wanted to help out."

"I can't…" I paused, trying to come up with a convincing lie. There was only so much stuff that a girl could just pull out of her ass at a moment's notice. "I'm…stuck in traffic."

"I kinda find that hard to believe," Elena said with skepticism.

"Well, believe it. Someone needed to get your cake!" I replied. "And I have to pick up your present. Butch Cassidy thought it would fun to tag along, and he dragged the Sundance Kid along with him."

"What?"

"Damon and Alaric…" I clarified. "Don't worry about it; that movie was way before your time." God, I feel old right now.

"Miranda!" Elena began with a whine. "This party is enough; you guys don't need to do anything else."

"Oh please," I scoffed. "The party was Caroline's idea; you know how she is."

"You still don't need to do anything; you've done enough over the past few months."

"Elena!" I stopped her. "Don't worry about it; we want to make your birthday special. You only turn 18 once."

"But—"

"No buts!" I said with finality. "You're getting a party and a present and a cake, and you're going to enjoy it! End…of…story. We'll see you when we get home."

"But Miranda—" I hung up before she could say anything else and leaned against the shed. Man that was painful. It's a good thing the cake was at my house, or I would have some major explaining to do.

"Time to go," Damon said, appearing next to me.

"Why?" I asked.

"Do you want to be here when the entire place goes up?" he asked in return.

"Good point," I replied as he wrapped an arm around my waist to lead me to the car. "Let's go."

**A/N: Guess who's BACK! I know I said I would only be gone for a month and then I dropped off the face of the planet, but I have been a very busy bee with school and life stuff in general. But…I only have three more weeks of school left, and while I can't promise that the updates after this one will be posted on a timely basis—because I will also be busy over the summer—I promise that I will try to get a chapter out for each of my fics once a week…starting June 1****st****. Yeah, another wait.**

**Another reason I wanted to postpone this chapter was so I could see how Season 3 would play out, and while I'm not disappointed with the show—I won't give any spoilers—I will have to work a little bit harder on the creative front for the upcoming chapters. I already have a few ideas; they're a little rough, and might not make the readers too happy…but they're rough and the concepts are adding some drama into my mental storyline. Great! Just what this story needs: more drama! (Please note my sarcasm.)**

**Anyways, I'll shut up now. Reviews are appreciated, as always, and they will still get you a little preview of the next chapter. I'm hoping for a lot of reviews because I want to know that my readers still love me. Until next time…**


	57. Happy Birthday To You

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

"You need help?"

"No. I've got this."

"You sure? Because it looks like you're going to drop it."

"Damon, please, could you just shut up for two seconds?" I looked up at him with annoyance. He stood there, staring at me silently, and I frowned.

"There," he said triumphantly. "Two seconds." He rushed behind me and placed a hand on my hip, the other going to push my hair over one shoulder. "Do I get a prize?" Soon I could feel his lips my neck. The party had just started ten minutes ago, there were already fifty people in the living room, and the music was too loud; it was getting difficult to deal with that, trying to get the cake onto the pretty stand, and keep myself focused when Damon was…being Damon.

I shivered as his cool fingers traced the skin that was exposed by the criss-cross straps on the back of my dress. I didn't know whether to kill him or just give in and forget about the stupid party. But I knew I just couldn't do that; you know what they say: in for a penny, in for a pound.

"Damon," I began, but due to my voice squeaking under pressure, he obviously took it the wrong way, because I could feel his fangs scraping against my skin in that oh-so-good way he knew drove me insane.

"Damon!" I snapped, turning around and pushing him away from me. He looked at me in confusion, head tilted slightly. "Um…have you given Elena your present yet?"

"I was just going to put it in with the scrapbook and toss that on the gift table," he shrugged. "Why?"

"Don't you think she'd appreciate it more if she could wear it tonight?" I asked. "It'll make you look like less of a jackass, especially considering your behavior the past two months."

"Oh, fine _mom_. I'll go," he took the little jewelry box out of his pocket and waved it in the air. He then got a devious look in his eye and returned to his place right in front of me. "You owe me."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I rolled my eyes and swatted him away. "Get out of here." He smirked and left. My phone began to ring and I answered it on speaker due to my current cake predicament.

"You've reached the Insane Asylum. How can I help you?" I answered.

"Hey. It's Andie."

"Oh, Andie. Thank God," I sighed in relief. "I need some sanity."

"How's the party going so far?" she asked.

"It's a disaster," I groaned. "Well…not a disaster, but it's potentially disastrous. I don't know how many people Caroline invited, but there I don't think the front door has closed once since the party started."

"Oh." I could hear Andie wince. "That…doesn't sound good."

"Tell me about it," I replied. "I think I'm going to have to call a crime scene clean-up crew after the party just for the mess alone."

"Well, I'll be there in an hour or two to help with crowd control," Andie said. "We just need to wrap up here."

"That's fine. Take your time; I'm sure nothing's going to happen until you get here…hopefully." I heard something shatter in the library and I winced. "I have to go and deal with the crazy teenagers. See you later."

"Bye." I hung up the phone and darted out of the kitchen; oh God, why did Damon agree to have the party here.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I leaned against the doorway to Stefan's room, my arms crossed over my chest as I frowned; Elena stood in front of Stefan's mirror, straightening out her dress. She looked distant, and I felt a pang of guilt in my chest. Had I not been bitten by Were-Tyler, Stefan would still be here, and she would be spending today with him…instead of the hoard of strangers who were currently occupying the boarding house.

"Don't worry," Elena said, noticing me through the mirror. "I'm not gonna lose it; at least not before the cake."

"Let's see if there is still a cake; Miranda's in charge of the food, and she isn't exactly calm with someone breaking something every five minutes," I shrugged. "Besides, it's your party; you can cry if you want to." Elena smiled slightly and I stepped into the room.

"I got you something," I said.

"Damon! You and Miranda have done too much already—"

"It isn't from me_ and _Miranda. Just me. And don't worry," I told her as I pulled the small box out of my pocket. "I didn't pay for it."

"You stole it?" Elena asked, her eyes wide with shock.

"What? No!" I scoffed. "I found it." I handed Elena the box and she eyed me with suspicion. When she lifted the lid, she gasped in surprise.

"My necklace." She ran a finger over the charm gently. "I never thought I'd see it again."

"Alaric found it in his loft," I shrugged. "Though you'd be happy to have it back."

"I am happy," she replied with a watery smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Can you…"

"Of course." I took the box from her and removed the necklace. She turned to face the mirror again and pulled her hair out of the way. I carefully fastened the necklace around her neck and she smiled brightly. "Perfect. Right where it belongs."

"Thank you Damon," Elena said again.

"Shall we?" I asked, offering my arm.

"I guess its better sooner," she huffed, taking my arm. "Rather than later."

We made our way downstairs, past couples making out in the hall and groups of teenagers chatting and laughing, and into the crowded living room, where the party was taking place. There was an occasional "Happy Birthday Elena!" as we moved through the crowd, but I had a feeling that half the people here didn't even know that this was a birthday party.

As a group of already-drunk girls passed us, I noticed what was in their hands and I stopped them.

"Hey, hey, hey," I said, grabbing one of the girls by the arm. She looked at me with an annoyed expression and I peeled the bottle of scotch from her hands as I looked her in the eye. "You don't want this; you want the cheap, young stuff over by the cheap, young people." She blinked and shook her head, the compulsion taking over, and then she sauntered off with her friends.

"Go. Go. Go. Go!" The chanting became louder and I turned back to the crowd, my eyes going wide at the sight of Miranda, doing a keg stand, as two jocks held her ankles. I was thankful that the skirt of her dress was constricting, otherwise I'd have to kill a few people tonight.

"Is that—" Elena began, but I cut her off.

"Yep," I nodded, opening the scotch to drink straight from the bottle.

"She's only doing it because they promised they wouldn't break anything else," Caroline explained as she approached us. She looked at me with apologetic eyes. "I don't think you're gonna want to go into the dining room; they made a pretty big mess in there."

"Figures," I replied with a roll of my eyes. I looked over at Elena, who was watching the crowd with wide eyes. "Go," I told her. "Have some fun."

"But—"

"Damon's right," Caroline said cheerfully. "The first thing we have to do is get you something to drink." Caroline grabbed her hand and pulled her away. Elena looked back at me with an accusatory glare and I just shrugged, taking another drink from my bottle of scotch.

There was a loud cheer and I watched as Miranda finally stood upright as all the teenagers gave her high fives.

"I didn't know Miranda was such a party animal," Alaric said from beside me. I looked over at him and laughed.

"Neither did I," I told him. "Truthfully, I've never seen her drink more than two glasses of wine at a time."

"I drink socially, thank you," Miranda said with eyebrows raised as she took her place next to me. "Unlike some people, who enjoy getting totally wasted."

"You know you love me," I replied, smirking at her.

"I have issues, ok?" Rick asked, taking the scotch from me, then lifting it to his lips. "Leave me out of this."

"You are in this because you're friends with us," Miranda replied, gaze roaming over the crowd.

"That isn't really fair," Rick protested.

"Life never is," I shrugged

There was a loud crashing sound and the crowd went silent for a second before the noise resumed; I could see Miranda cringe. "For God's sake…" she muttered, and I slung my arm around her waist before she attempted to strangle someone.

"You know what? We need some fresh air." I said aloud. "Fresh air Rick?"

"Right behind you," he nodded. I steered the seething Miranda through the hall and out onto the terrace in the backyard. Crisis averted…hopefully.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"I am every parent's worst nightmare," Rick said, watching as the party became increasingly wild as the seconds ticked on. "I am the chaperone teacher from hell."

Over the last hour, another hundred or so people filed into the boarding house, and I was sure that I didn't want to know what was going on under that roof. Thankfully, Damon's little diversion of "fresh air" was somewhat relieving, especially since I could hear people breaking things left and right. The backyard was much more peaceful, despite the few party guests that lingered out here, due to the cool breeze and the lack of pounding, earsplitting beats.

"I love high school parties," Damon remarked sarcastically as he poured himself another glass of scotch.

"Isn't Andie supposed to be here?" Rick asked.

"The evening broadcast finished a little while ago," I told him.

"Then she should be here in a little bit," Damon concluded, downing his drink in two seconds. I rolled my eyes and spotted Elena walking outside from my peripheral vision; she looked beyond mad.

"Hey Birthday Girl," Damon greeted.

"Drink," she demanded and I handed her my glass. "Thanks."

"What's wrong?" I asked as she sipped at the scotch, wincing slightly.

"Jeremy's smoking again," she replied.

"Is his stash any good?" Damon asked, and I backhanded his arm. "Ow, what?"

"You're an ass," Elena scowled, turning slightly to face Rick. "Could you talk to him, Rick? He looks up to you."

"Uh…" Rick glanced at me with a look screaming "help."

"Thank you," Elena replied before he could say anything else. She handed my glass back to me and then walked back into the boarding house.

"You're screwed," Damon told him bluntly, earning a slight groan from Rick.

"I am not nearly as drunk as I need to be for this," he said, holding his glass out so I could pour him more scotch. He motioned for me to stop pouring once the glass was almost filled to the rim.

"You are going to die of liver failure," I told him. "I hope you know that."

"Oh yeah," he nodded seriously. "I know."

My phone began buzzing and I picked it up from its spot beside me.

_ Hey. Car won't start; can't get a tow truck. Could you give me a lift from the studio? –Andie_

"What is it?" Damon asked.

"Andie asked if I could pick her up at the station," I replied, jumping off the brick ledge we were sitting on.

"I'll go with you," he offered, standing up and taking my hand.

"What?" I exclaimed. "No, I need at least one serious adult here to make sure the house doesn't get burned down."

"Rick's got it covered."

"I do?" he asked.

"Yeah." Damon nodded.

"Damon," I groaned in protest.

"You'll hold down the fort?" he asked. "Won't you?

"You mean the fort full of my drunk history students?" Rick asked.

"Drink more," Damon suggested. "It'll feel less weird." He smiled and pulled me through the house. I was going to regret that later.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

The television station was practically pitch black as Miranda pulled into the parking lot. There were a few lights on inside, as well as the one that illuminated the broadcasting satellite dish. My phone began to ring but I ignored it. We both got out of the car and walked to the door, which was locked.

"Do you have the feeling like something's…wrong?" I asked.

"Yeah," Miranda nodded. I took her hand in mine and forced the door open, relieved when I didn't hear an alarm. We walked inside and through the news room, which was drowned in a blue glow from the computer screens. My phone rang again and I checked the screen.

"Who is it?" Miranda asked.

"Elena," I sighed and answered. "Party central."

"Where are you?" Elena asked, her voice drowning in anger.

"Umm…" I looked up to the ceiling to think of an answer. "By the punch bowl."

"Don't do that Damon," she exclaimed. "Don't lie to me!"

"What makes you think I'm lying?" I asked, earning a questioning look from Miranda. I shrugged.

"I saw your closet." Uh oh.

"Oh, uh…" I paused. "I gotta go break up beer pong." I quickly hung up and put the phone back in my pocket.

"What was that about?" Miranda asked.

"Elena's onto us," I sighed. "Seems we haven't been very stealth in our manhunt for Stefan."

"Uh oh."

"Tell me about it." I agreed.

There was a loud crashing sound coming from another room and Miranda jumped from the sound. I covered her mouth with my hand before she could make a noise, then put a finger to my lips to tell her to be quiet. She nodded and we carefully walked through the door marked "Stage 3."

There was no sign of Andie anywhere until Miranda tripped…over Andie's purse. She looked at me with wide eyes and I took a deep breath.

"Stefan?" I asked.

"Hello brother," I heard him say. My head whipped in that direction and I found him standing only a few hundred feet away, hands behind his back in a menacing stance. Miranda was about to take a step towards him, but I grabbed her arm, preventing her from doing so.

"You don't write," I told him. "You don't call."

"I need you two to stop following me," he said. "You're causing some problems."

"With who?" I asked. "Klaus? Are we supposed to care what he thinks?"

"What you're supposed to do," Stefan began. "Is let me go."

"We saw your latest artwork in Tennessee," I said. "You're walking a fine line there my friend. Keep that up and there will be no saving you."

"See, the thing is, I don't need any saving," he replied. "I just want you to let me go."

"What about Elena?" Miranda asked. "Do you think she's just going to give up on you? To let you go?" There was a flash of emotion behind Stefan's eyes and he took a deep breath.

"Maybe I haven't made my point," he said with a shrug. He looked up towards the ceiling. "Hey Andie. You still there?"

"Andie?" Miranda and I asked in confusion. Stefan shrugged again and motioned upwards. Miranda and I looked up, and Miranda gasped in shock; there, on a ledge used for lighting, stood Andie. Her hands were gripping the side bars tightly and she was looking down in fear.

"Damon? Miranda?" She asked, voice thick with emotion. "I…I can't move. He told me that I can't move."

"Don't worry Andie," Miranda told her. "Just take a deep breath and keep calm." There was a blur of movement as Miranda tried to go to her, but Stefan was too fast, and soon Miranda was crashing into a pile of camera equipment. I rushed to her side and helped her up. I stared into her eyes, silently asking if she was alright, and she nodded. I looked back at Stefan.

"Not cool brother," I snarled.

"Awe, come on!" Stefan exclaimed. "A little bit cool, huh? Hey Andie. You can move now."

"No," Andie whispered, trying to hold onto the bar as she began taking a step over the edge of the scaffolding.

"No." I yelled, but as I tried to rush beneath to catch her, I was pushed into a very solid wall, Stefan's hand constricting around my throat, holding me in place.

"Andie!" Miranda screamed, and I watched as she was just a second too late, and Andie fell to the ground with a loud crunching sound. Miranda reached her side and crumpled to the floor next to her.

"I won't tell you again," Stefan hissed. "Let. Me. GO!" I growled and threw my brother away from me, running towards Miranda and Andie.

Andie stared up at me with a blank gaze, and I didn't know whether to feel angry or guilty. I quickly turned around to see if Stefan was still there, but he was gone. Slipped out of our fingers again.

"She's dead," Miranda whispered, tears coming from her eyes. She was holding Andie's hand in both of her own.

"I know," I told her, wrapping my arms around her waist and burying my face in her hair.

"I was just…We were having lunch at the Grill today," Miranda said. "And we were talking about going to that museum exhibit opening in Richmond next week. And she's dead."

"I know, and I'm sorry," I whispered. "But we need to go."

"What?" Miranda pulled away from me and looked at me with wide, watery eyes. "We can't just leave her!"

"We have to," I said, pulling Miranda to her feet. "They'll find her tomorrow morning; it'll look like an accident."

"I can't."

"You have to be strong Miranda," I whispered.

"I don't want to be," she replied, burying her face into my shoulder.

"I know," I told her, picking her up in my arms. I glanced at Andie's body one last time and then rushed out of the station.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

_Pain. I just wanted to feel something, and pain was the most effective. I looked over the edge of the building; Chicago was beautiful. I thought back to hundreds of years ago when I thought my home by the sea was the most beautiful thing in the world, and while that was still true to some extent, I don't think I could've fathomed seeing cities with buildings that touched the sky or cathedrals with beautiful stained glass windows. But here I was, 1927, and the world was so different._

_ I closed my eyes and felt the wind rush around me, thinking about how perfect it felt. I could remember heartbreak and suffering and betrayal, and sometimes, no matter how much I thought and searched, there would be nothing at all. The wind, though, that feeling was solid, and I could never get enough of it._

_ I pushed myself onto the stone ledge of the balcony; I needed to feel something solid. How many times had I done this before? Once more couldn't hurt. It would hurt, yes, but I would heal. That was the feeling I wanted; the feeling of bones popping back into place and tissue regenerating. No matter how much it hurt, that feeling of healing—the feeling that it would all be ok—was what I wanted. Maybe, sometime later in life, all those wounds that never fully healed would be ok too. I could only hope._

_ "Miranda!" That voice was so familiar. Maybe I was hallucinating…that would be a first. "Miranda!"_

_ Suddenly, I felt myself being thrown backwards, my back hitting the floor of the balcony with a sickening crunch. My bones mended themselves quickly, but before I could react, I was pinned against the wall, right next to the door. I opened my eyes to find a seething—_

_ "Stefan?" I asked._

I opened my eyes and frowned. I sat up and looked around the room; the streetlights from outside provided some light, and my TV provided the rest. I had been in the passenger's seat of my car, silently crying as Damon drove away from the television station; how had I gotten here?

"Hey," Damon's voice alerted me to his presence and he walked into my bedroom from the hall. "I didn't think you'd be up so soon." His hair was disheveled, as were his clothes, and he was holding a Tupperware and two blood bags in his hand.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" I asked.

"You had a long day, what with Tennessee and the party and…" he hesitated.

"And Andie?" I asked, earning a nod.

"Yeah, and that."

"I'm sorry for breaking down like that," I said as he jumped beside me on the bed and handed me a blood bag.

"No need to apologize," he shrugged. "I had a little breakdown too when I got back to the boarding house." I didn't need to ask him why; I could just see it in his eyes. Anger, sadness, disappointment; all directed at Stefan.

"Is the party over?" I asked, drinking from the blood bag.

"Yep," he nodded. "Rick and I got everyone out _and_ I remembered to lock the door. Clean up isn't going to be pretty, but I'm sure that if we guilt Caroline, she'll help out."

"Hmm." I sighed and looked at the Tupperware that sat between us. "What's this?"

"Birthday cake," Damon replied. "Caroline saved some for us, and I figured we could eat it while watching crappy TV…" He said, motioning towards the television, which was playing some late night talk show.

"Or?" I asked, noting the devious look in his eye.

"Or…we could get a little creative. Have some fun?" He smirked and I rolled my eyes.

"Only you," I laughed.

"You know you love me," Damon whispered into my ear. I tossed both of our empty blood bags aside and straddled his waist.

"What did I tell this morning about using that way too much?" I asked.

"I dunno," he said before pulling me down for a kiss. "I was only paying attention to how your dress was clinging to you." He flipped us over and hovered over me for a second before pressing his forehead against mine.

"I promise that everything will turn out normal…eventually."

"I don't think that "normal" is a word in Mystic Falls dictionary," I informed him.

"Well then whatever is closest to it." He stared into my eyes for a few moments and then said, "I love you. You know that, right?"

"Of course I do," I replied. "And you know that I love you too?"

"Always."

**A/N: Another late chapter. Hello there, again. I know I promised more updates, but I've been busy (excuses) with school finishing and the like. (I got a 30 composite on my ACT by the way. Not to mention I got a perfect 36 on the English portion. I'm so happy!) Anyways, this is going to be the first of **_**many**_** updates over the summer, because I have a lot of free time to work with.**

**I'm going to try and finish both of my other fics—**_**When Days Were Long and Pleasant**_** and **_**Smoke in the Air**_**—over the summer, and hopefully get half of Season 3 done for this fic. Look forward to a new chapter soon.**

**Other than that, I think everything is spic and span. Reviews are appreciated, as always, and they will still get you a little preview of the next chapter. (Did I even send a preview of this chapter last time? If I didn't, I'm so sorry. Like I said, life catches up to you.) Until next time!**


	58. Blood and Teeth

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

The next morning, I woke up a little more than somewhat hung-over. God, I knew better than to drink that much last night, but it wasn't like my stress level was at a low. The crying I had done didn't help any either. I would rather go through the first 300 years of my life again than have to relive last night.

I shoveled a spoonful of cereal into my mouth as I watched the news. Two men in a jackets marked "Coroner" were carrying a covered stretcher over to a van and I sighed, knowing what—or rather, who—was underneath the white cover. The shot changed to show the blonde reporter before the camera, a solemn look on her face.

"…field reporter and weekend anchor, Andie Star, was discovered dead early this morning by local Sheriff's deputies."

My phone rang and I picked it off of the coffee table.

"I thought you'd be out of commission for a week after all you drank last night, Rick," I answered.

"Yeah, well, I'd like to be," he replied. "But we have a little problem."

"What is it?"

The doorbell rang and I raised an eyebrow. I placed my bowl down and got off the couch. I pulled the front door open and found Elena standing there with her arms crossed over her chest. I looked over her shoulder and saw Rick, leaning against my car, phone to his ear. He shrugged and sent me an apologetic smile.

"Time to suit up," he said. I raised an eyebrow and looked back at Elena.

"You knew that Damon's been tracking Stefan's attacks," Elena stated. "You knew and you've been helping him."

"Can the drama wait until I'm done with breakfast?" I asked.

"No," she glared at me and I just stared right back; it was a battle of wills to see who would look away first. Unfortunately, I hadn't had my coffee yet, and I blinked.

"Fine!" I sighed. "I knew about Stefan's ripper attacks. It was Damon's idea to keep it tight-lipped, though. You can't blame me for not telling you."

"I don't," Elena huffed, looking down at her feet. "But now I'm going to need your help. So get dressed; we're meeting Tyler at the Grill in fifteen minutes."

"It's not even ten yet, Elena," I protested.

"I know," she replied. "I woke Rick up about a half hour ago. He's been whining about coffee the entire time. You can both get some at the Grill, and we might be able to get on the road before noon."

"Ugh," I groaned; I was not looking forward to another road trip. "Fine."

"Thank you!" Elena exclaimed as I rushed upstairs to take a shower and get dressed.

* * *

"Morning," the bartender greeted as Rick and I sat down at the bar. "A little early, don't you think?"

"Coffee, please," Rick grumbled. Elena immediately sought Tyler out as soon as she set foot into the Grill. Apparently, as I had learned earlier, she was trying to find out where Klaus was in Tennessee in order to "save" Stefan.

_"Did you know that Stefan called me last night?"Elena asked as I was tying the laces on my boots. As per Elena's insistence, I had dressed considerably down compared to what I usually wore; t-shirt, denim cut-offs, boots._

_ "Really?" I asked, raising an eyebrow in doubt. "Are you sure it was him?"_

_ "Yeah." She sighed. "That's why I want to go. He called. If he was too far gone to save, he wouldn't have called."_

_ "What did he say?"_

_ "Uh…nothing?"_

_ "Then how do you know it was him?"_

_ "Come on, Miranda," Elena said. "Have some faith."_

"_Elena, you do realize that you're dead if Klaus finds out you're still alive," I asked._

_ "Well, yeah, that's why you and Rick are tagging along." She shrugged. "If I could go by myself, I would."_

_ "What did Damon say?"_

_ "Well…"_

_ "Elena!" I scolded._

_ "You didn't expect me to tell him, did you?" She asked. "He thinks that Stefan isn't worth trying to save."_

_ "Have you seen the news?" I asked, standing up._

_ "You can't back out now, Miranda," Elena stated, crossing her arms again. "You already said yes."_

"I blame you," I told Rick as we waited for our coffee.

"What?" he exclaimed. "Why me?"

"You lived with her for two and a half months," I replied. "Your drunken recklessness has rubbed off on her…you know, minus the alcohol."

"I wasn't reckless," he denied.

"Remember that day you made Damon and I take you go-carting?" I asked.

"Uh, no."

"Then trust me," I said. "You were reckless."

"Here you go," the bartender said, placing a normal cup of coffee in front of Rick and a large latte mug in front of me. I looked at it and smiled at the little spiral of hearts that had been drawn on the foam with milk.

"Oh, how pretty," I gushed, looking up at him.

"On the house," he said, winking at me before going to help another group of customers who had sat at the other end of the bar.

"Does Damon know you're cheating on him?" Rick mocked once the bartender was far enough away.

"Shut up, Rick," I scoffed. "He has a crush on me. It's cute."

"I guess he's into centuries old vampires who like wine and have boyfriends," he smirked.

"Hit the nail right on the head," I said sarcastically, sipping my latte.

"So when are we going to let Damon in on Elena's plan?"

"I'll text him once we're out of Mystic Falls," I replied. "Hopefully he'll get to us before we reach Tennessee. I really don't want to face a pack of werewolves on a full moon."

"We'll be out of there before the moon is full," Elena said, thankfully only hearing the last part, as she slid onto the stool beside me. "Don't worry about it."

"What did you get?" Rick asked.

"How do you feel about a little hike through the Smoky Mountains?" she offered.

"It sucks," he replied bluntly.

"If you don't want to come, find by me," she scoffed. "Miranda will be there to protect me. Besides, you're the one who told me that I could handle things on my own now." I choked on my coffee at that bit.

"Yeah," Rick nodded. "I meant frozen dinners and SATs."

"So are you in?"

"Alright, fine." He sighed, "But you're driving." Elena smiled triumphantly and headed for the door. I slapped Rick's arm lightly.

"What?"

"You're really stupid, you know?" I told him. "How could you tell her something like that?"

"I figured that she's be motivated to make smarter decisions," he shrugged. "How was I supposed to know that it would make her…"

"Reckless?"

"Shut up."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"Ah," I sighed, flopping onto one of the couches in the library. "All done." It had taken all morning to clean the boarding house. Thank God for vampire speed, otherwise it would have taken all day. Now, I could just relax and enjoy my whiskey.

My phone started ring and I was tempted to ignore it. Probably Elena, trying to coerce me into helping with her manhunt for Stefan. After the fourth attempt, I finally took my phone from my pocket and looked at the screen.

3 missed calls. 1 new text message.

_**On our way to Tennessee w/ Elena. Tried to talk her out of it. Need backup. Get here NOW! –Miranda**_

"Damn it!" I guess I wouldn't be able to relax after all.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

The forest was basked in afternoon light as we walked through the trees; I kept checking my phone, but there was absolutely no reception. Where was Damon? I had texted him right as we left Mystic Falls; he should've caught up to us by now.

"In a couple of hours," Alaric began as we approached the shallow point of a river. "The full moon's gonna rise just above that ridge. If Tyler's right, that's where the pack'll be."

"You were a boy scout, weren't you?" Elena asked. "A boy scout-slash-vampire slayer?"

"Slash-whiskey-drinking all-around lost cause," Rick concluded.

"Way to keep a positive outlook on life," I said sarcastically, adjusting my backpack.

"Ha ha," he deadpanned, dropping his own backpack onto the ground. He unzipped the front pocket to reveal a bunch of stakes and even a little crossbow.

"Wow," Elena exclaimed. "You came stocked."

"Well, we aren't exactly bird-watching," he replied. He pulled out two canisters filled with a murky yellow liquid, and handed one to Elena and one to me.

"Vervain grenade?" Elena asked.

"Wolfsbane," Rick replied, then turned to me. "Could you go and check out what's up ahead? Get an pinpoint on the location?"

"Yes sir," I said, mock saluting him. I dropped my own backpack beside his and was about to go when Elena stopped me.

"Miranda," she called. "Be safe."

"Don't worry about it," I told her, tossing the wolfsbane grenade from one hand to the other. I let my face contort vampirically and smiled, my fangs pushing against my lower lip. "I'll be fine." She shook her head and I rushed off through the trees.

Almost five minutes later, as I got closer to the point Alaric had pointed to, the thick smell of blood and death hit me like a brick wall, effectively stopping me in my tracks. While the scent of blood that strong usually could throw the control over my bloodlust haywire, it was the scents that accompanied it that practically made me gag. I was cautious to even go any closer, but I knew that I needed to see if it was safe for Elena and Rick to get this far.

I finally reached the campground that Tyler had told Elena about and I had to slap a hand over my mouth so I wouldn't gasp aloud and alert Klaus—or Stefan—to my presence. Bodies. They were everywhere; sprawled out on the forest floor, limbs twisted at odd angles, staring ahead with dead, blank gazes. Klaus was in the process of forcing his blood down a young woman's throat, and after a few seconds, he snapped her neck and let her fall to the ground in a lifeless heap.

"That's the lot of them," Klaus sighed as he looked over his handiwork. Aside from the dead bodies and a bored-looking Stefan, I spotted a human with a large bite mark on his arm and another man, who was sitting on a rock, shaking and crying blood. Was Klaus…no…he couldn't be!

I quickly turned on my heel and rushed back to where I had left Rick and Elena, careful not to make any noise whatsoever. Imagine my reaction when an arm wrapped around my waist and a hand clamped over my mouth as I got closer to my destination, effectively stopping me in my tracks. I struggled for few seconds, kicking and thrashing, until I heard a familiar laughter in my ear.

"And here I thought you missed me," Damon whispered in my ear. I calmed down and he let me go. I turned around and slapped his arm multiple times before punching him in the chest.

"Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again!" I scolded. Damon, though, laughed heartily. "Jackass! What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I would get you back for letting Elena come to Tennessee in the first place."

"She was going to come anyways," I replied. "Nothing I could do."

"Except, I don't know, tie her to a chair or something!" I rolled my eyes and he sighed. "Where are they?" he asked.

"I was on my way there before you decided to go all psycho body snatcher on me."

"Well let's go then," Damon replied. "Maybe I can talk some sense into Elena before she gets us all killed." He was about to go when he realized that he didn't know the way; he looked back at me with a sheepish smile.

"Uh huh," I rolled my eyes and held my hand out to him. "You're useless." Before I could move, though, Damon had pulled me into his arms and was kissing me. Unable to resist, my arms snaked around his neck as I kissed him back. It was a few minutes before he pulled away, both of us gasping for air; Damon looked at me with that conceited smirk of his.

"Useless, am I?" he asked, his thumbs making circles on my hips as he rested his forehead against mine.

"Shut up," I laughed. We shared a few more butterfly kisses before I pulled myself from his grasp and rushed off to find Elena and Rick, Damon right on my heels.

We stopped at the edge of the river, where Rick and Elena were talking; Rick noticed us first.

"About time you showed up," he said. Elena frowned and turned around, eyes going wide as she saw Damon.

"Damon! What are you doing here?" she exclaimed. Her gaze then focused on Rick and me. "You sold me out!"

"We weren't just going to let you play Nancy Drew in a forest full of werewolves did you?" Rick asked. "Not on a full moon. Not without backup."

"So what?" Elena asked. "Are you gonna make me go home now?"

"Yes. Not only are you putting yourself in danger with your stupid decisions," Damon began. "But you're putting the three of us in danger too."

"Maybe you see it like that, but that's because you've given up on Stefan!"

"I didn't give up on him, Elena," Damon replied. "I faced reality. Get your stuff; we're going home."

"You can't tell me what to do," she scoffed. Damon was silent for a second and then sighed in frustration.

"Alright, I can't make you go home. That's fine," he shrugged. "So what's your big plan? Are you going to walk through a campsite full of werewolves and try to change Stefan's mind over roasted marshmallows?"

"My plan is to find him and help him," Elena said. "This is the closest we've been to him since he left. I'm not going home unless he's with us!"

"Maybe you're forgetting about Klaus," Rick interjected. "He's not going to just let you waltz in and coerce Stefan into coming back to Mystic Falls."

"Then we just have to wait until he isn't with Stefan," Elena shrugged.

"And it _is_ a full moon tonight," I reminded her, again.

"Then we'll get to him before then," she replied. "Please, guys. I can't go home now. Not after coming this far for him."

"Ok," Damon huffed. "Ok. But we are out of here before the moon is full and Miranda and I become werewolf bait."

"I promise," Elena nodded.

"No exceptions," he pointed at her.

"I said I promise!"

"Alright," Rick sighed. "Now that _that_ is sorted out, we should start moving. Did you get to the camp? How was it?"

"Uh…" I sighed and looked up at the sky. "It was bad."

"What do you mean, "it was bad?""

"Well…"

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"We've got about a mile left," Miranda said as our gang of misfits trekked up a small incline.

"And the sun's about to set," I remarked, looking up at the rustic reds and oranges that now painted the sky.

"Damon," Elena groaned in annoyance.

"I'm just saying."

"The moon doesn't reach its apex for a while," she replied. "We still have time."

"Hold on a second," Rick muttered, holding his arm out to stop us. "Be quiet." We stopped talking immediately and heard the distinct sounds of leaves rustling. Up ahead, a man in tattered, bloody clothes stumbled out from a group of bushes; Alaric pulled his crossbow out and aimed it at him when he spotted the blood running down his face, leaving a trail from his eyes.

"Stay where you are," Rick warned the man. The man stumbled a little before gaining his footing; he looked up at us, and then focused on Miranda and me.

"Vampire," he said softly. Before we could do anything, he had rushed over to us; I grabbed the man before he could get to Miranda, but I wasn't fast enough. He pushed me backwards into the trunk of a tree, and I struggled to hold onto him as his tried to sink his teeth into me. My eyes widened when I saw the distinct gold color in his eyes, just like Tyler Lockwood's on the night he bit me. This time, though, veins protruded from beneath his eyes like a vampire would. A hybrid. Just like Miranda had said.

"Little help," I called. Rick quickly shot the man in the back with his crossbow, but it only seemed to agitate him even more. "Little more help."

"Hey wolf boy!" Miranda exclaimed. The hybrid didn't respond…until a decent-sized rock hit him in the back of the head; he turned around, still holding me against the tree like there was no tomorrow. Miranda stood a few yards away, one hand out, one behind her back. "Come get."

The hybrid let me go and I fell to the ground; he rushed over to Miranda, only to get thrown back by a small explosion. He groaned in pain as he writhed on the ground, his face and hands burned a bright red. Just as he was about to get up, I rushed over and kicked him in the face, effectively knocking him out.

"What was that?" I asked, looking at Miranda with wide eyes.

"Vervain grenade," she replied with a shrug.

"Not that," I scoffed. "The whole "come get" thing. I could've handled it."

"Of course you could," she said, rolling her eyes.

"What are we going to do about him now?" Elena asked, carefully watching the hybrid in case he woke up again.

"Got any rope?" I asked.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I pulled on the rope securing the knots tightly as Damon shut the lock on the chains; we had tied the hybrid to a tree with wolfsbane soaked ropes and steel chains, hoping to keep him from escaping.

"Rick, take these," Elena said after she covered another rope with water from her bottle. Damon reached back and touched them, only to shout in pain and pull his hand back sharply.

"Ah! Vervain?" he winced and glared at Elena

"I did say Rick," she defended. Rick rolled his eyes and grabbed the rope.

"So, that's the last of the wolfsbane," he sighed as he was tying. "_And_ the last of the vervain. I don't think it's going to be enough to hold him."

"And we aren't going to make it to the camp before the full moon," I concluded, looking up at the sky.

"If we can get him to take, we don't have to," Elena replied, taking a step closer to the hybrid. She cautiously lifted and hand and pushed against his shoulder, trying to wake him up. After a few tries, he awoke with a strangled gasp, and Elena jumped back in shock.

"What—" he tried to speak. "Where am I?" He took a deep breath and then his neck bend at a very odd, very painful looking angle and he screamed in agony. There was a sickening crunch of bones as he neck bent the other way.

"Is he turning?" Damon asked with a frown.

"It's impossible," Elena replied. "It's still daylight."

"Tell him that," Rick scoffed. The hybrid lunged for Elena as best he could while still being tied up, and Damon rushed over and pushed his shoulders back against the trunk of the tree.

"There aren't supposed to werewolves out here until the moon is full," Elena exclaimed.

"Regardless," I replied over the screams and snarls. "Those ropes and chains aren't going to hold him back if he turns into a wolf."

"We've gotta get out of here," Rick concluded. "We have to get out of the mountains and back to the car. Now."

"I second that," Elena agreed.

"Damon, come on." I said. "We have to go now." Damon quickly grabbed my hand and the four of us began running through the trees, back in the direction we came.

Unsurprisingly, it got dark before we made it out of the mountains. And I mean really dark. I didn't know how Rick could lead the way with his human vision; I could barely see up ahead and I was a vampire. Just as we reached the trail we had began our journey on, Elena tripped over a root that had stuck up from the ground and fell. Damon, Rick and I all skidded to a halt as she a large wolf with glowing yellow eyes suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Elena, don't move," I exclaimed as she began to pick herself off the ground. She stopped and cautiously looked up, only to jump back when she saw the werewolf looking at her, growling. I looked over at Damon questioningly and he nodded. I turned my gaze back to the wolf and heard Damon take a breath.

"Here, doggie, doggie," he said, getting the werewolf's attention. It looked over at us, its gaze switching back and forth between Damon and me. Before it could make another move, Damon and I rushed into the forest, splitting up after a few seconds to confuse the wolf. Hopefully, our tactic would work.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

It had been about ten minutes since I stopped running. I had heard another round of strangles cries of agony that, I hoped, had belonged to the hybrid. Oh, God, did I hope I was right. I had tried calling Miranda, but there was no reception, so I was left to just walk around and try to find her.

"Miranda," I called in a hushed tone, knowing that she would hear me. "Miranda! Where are you?" There was a rustling in some nearby bushes and I sighed. "Miranda, stop messing around."

Before I realized what had happened, good old' Mr. Psycho Hybrid jumped out of the bushes, now back to human form, and knocked me to the ground. I quickly stood up and watched as he growled savagely, blood still falling like tears from his eyes. He lunged for me but I quickly hit him as hard as I could, making him stumble backwards a few feet.

The hybrid roared and quickly came at me, arms flailing as he tried to attack, but I dodged every move he made. After one clumsy move that made him lose his balance, I grabbed him by the legs and threw him to the ground. As I heard his bones crunch sickeningly, he kicked me in the stomach and pushed himself back up. It was then that he lunged for me again, giving me only enough time to hold him back as he began chomping away at the air, trying for dear life to sink his teeth into me. The full moon did nothing to help because slowly, he was getting the upper hand and moving closer to my neck.

"Damon!" I heard Miranda scream. I looked over my shoulder for a split second and saw her at the edge of the clearing, the bottom of her shirt torn off revealing her abdomen. She was about to take a step towards us.

"Stay back!" I yelled at her, returning my attention to the snapping hybrid.

And then…

He was dead. Mouth open in a silent scream, bloody eyes staring straight ahead, but he wasn't moving; he was just dead weight in my arms. I let go and he fell to the ground, dead. Without hesitation, Miranda ran over and practically squeezed the life out of me; I wrapped my arms around her waist and softly kissed her temple to tell her I was alright, then I turned my attention to my brother, who was standing a few feet away with a hybrid heart in his hand.

"Fancy meeting you here," I said, catching my breath.

"What part of "don't follow me anymore" got lost in translation?" he asked, tossing the heart to the ground.

"You might want to take it up with your girlfriend," I replied. "If you don't want her chasing you, I'd stop with the late-night phone calls." Stefan hesitated before answering.

"I didn't call her," he said.

"Yes you did," Miranda said, glaring at him. "I saw the results of the phone trace Sheriff Forbes did for Elena. She either has a pen pal in Tennessee we don't know about, or it was you."

"She's not gonna give up on you," I told him.

"She has to," Stefan replied angrily. "Because I'm never coming back."

"Stefan don't—" Miranda began, but Stefan stopped her.

"No!" he snapped. "Take her home and keep here there!" With that, he hefted the hybrid over his shoulder and rushed off. Miranda and I were silent for a few long moments, then I sighed.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"Yeah," I replied. "Just…a lot to process."

"I'm sorry," she muttered.

"Not your fault." I looked down at her and frowned, fingering the torn edge of her shirt. "What about you? What happened?"

"Wolf boy followed me for a few miles and then he changed back," Miranda explained.

"Did he bite you?" I asked nervously.

"No. I narrowly escaped getting a chunk of flesh clawed out of me, but he ruined a great shirt."

"Hm," I smirked, reading the phrase designed on it. ""Do what you love and do it—"

"Often," she finished for me, motioning to the missing portion.

"I think I can take that advice," I said with a smirk, leaning down to kiss her. Miranda placed a hand on my lips and pushed me away with an eye roll.

"Sorry," she said. "But I don't think we should keep Rick and Elena worrying any longer."

"Come on," I groaned, trying to get my way. "How many chances does a guy get to have Smoky Mountain forest sex?"

"Gross," Miranda replied, scrunching up her face in disgust. "We're not in True Blood. Please get it together."

"Alright," I conceded, kissing her softly. "But you owe me."

"Uh huh," she laughed. "Whatever."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

We walked back to the field where Elena had parked Rick's SUV.

"Guys!" Elena exclaimed as they both got out of the SUV. "Are you ok? Did you—"

"We're fine." Damon replied. "Bite-free."

"Now it's time to go home," I concluded.

"But…but what about Stefan?" Elena asked. "He's still out there."

"Elena," I sighed, "it's still dangerous out here. It would best if we go back to Mystic Falls."

"But—"

"I'll give you 10 seconds to get in the car," Damon threatened, grabbing her by the shoulders and pushing her towards the passenger's side door.. "9, 8—hey Rick, did you happen to see where I parked my car?"

"Damon, stop being such a caveman," Elena scolded, shrugging him away. Damon put his hands up in defeat and walked back beside me, taking my hand in his.

"We'll see you back in Mystic Falls," I said.

"And Rick?" Damon called.

"Yeah?"

"Try to get her home safe," he said. "I'm not going on any lethal rescue missions anytime soon."

"Gotcha," Rick nodded.

* * *

"Did you talk to Elena?" I asked as Damon walked into my kitchen.

"Yep," he replied. I could sense a bit of hesitation and uncertainty in his voice. "All settled. I think she understands."

"Good," I nodded. "Blood?"

"Please," he groaned. I handed him a mug of blood and I went wide-eyed as he drank the entire thing in seconds. He put the mug down on the counter and closed his eyes. "Needed that."

"I'll bet," I laughed. I walked over to him and placed my hands on his face. "What's wrong?"

"I feel…I don't know, guilty I guess," he sighed. I knew what he meant; how many times had Stefan saved his ass, saved my ass? And what were we doing to repay him?

"We'll get him back," I muttered. "I promise."

"So do I," Damon said resolutely.

**A/N: Hi there. Another chapter down. I didn't like the ending, but the way I had it written before was much worse. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Reviews are always appreciated, and they still get you a little preview of the next chapter. Let me know what you think. Questions, comments, concerns? Until next time!**


	59. On the Road Again

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

"No!" I gasped, shooting upright. I blinked a few times, taking in my surroundings. I was home, alone, and safe; the nightmares always made it harder to get a good night's rest.

"Rise and…" Damon walked into my bedroom, stopping when he spotted that I was awake. "Oh, you're awake."

"Go away, please," I groaned, falling back against the pillows. "I need…at least another 24 hours of sleep."

"Come on, lazy." I felt the mattress dip beside me. "We have a bunch to do today. All you need to do is pack a bag while I go get Elena, and then we're off."

"Off where, exactly?" I asked with suspicion, cracking an eye open.

"No where special," Damon shrugged. "Just Chicago."

"Excuse me!" I choked. "What?"

"You heard me," he exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "Up and at 'em. We need to leave, like, now if we're going to beat traffic."

"Damon," I groaned in protest. "We went to Tennessee on Saturday and then again on Sunday—"

"—which wasn't my fault—"

"But can't we give it at least a week before we're on the road again?"

"I'll get the coffee," he offered with a smile. I was silent for a few moments. "_And_ I promise the danger level will be at an absolute minimum." I raised an eyebrow skeptically. "We can get deep dish pizza on the way back."

"Alright," I relented. "But I swear to God, if we have to go on _another_ road trip in the next _year_, I'm going to stake you."

"Love you too," he called as he left. I looked up at the ceiling and sighed, running a hand through my hair. Chicago. Too many memories. The painful ones outweighed the good ones.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"Why are we going to Chicago?" Miranda asked as she shut the trunk of my car.

"Why do you think?" I asked.

"But _how_ do you know he's in Chicago," she replied. "I've been checking news reports; there hasn't been anything resembling a ripper attack in the last few days."

"A little sadistic, blood-sucking birdie may or may not have called me last night," I shrugged. "Gave me a little tip-off about Stefan's whereabouts."

"And what does Katherine want in return?"

"Didn't say."

"Which means it's something big."

"Exactly."

"I should've killed her when I had the chance," Miranda huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"So," Elena said as she approached us, a backpack slung over her shoulder. "Are we just going to stand here all day?"

"We could have left without you," I scoffed, walking around to the driver's side.

"Coffee?" Elena asked, inhaling deeply as she climbed into the backseat.

"Ah, ah, ah," I said, stopping her before she could reach for the drink carrier that was resting on the center console. "Not for you."

Miranda looked back at Elena, then at the coffee as she got into the passenger's seat. She took one of the cups and handed it back to Elena.

"You're giving up coffee now?" I asked.

"I'm nice," Miranda shrugged, untangling the wire of a set of ear buds that was plugged into her phone. "Unlike you."

"Ouch," Elena laughed from the backseat.

"Besides, there are plenty of good coffee places in Chicago," Miranda continued, closing her eyes and placing her ear buds into her ears. "Don't wake me up until we get there." She touched an icon on the screen of her phone and leaned her head against the headrest.

"What's wrong with her?" Elena asked, taking a sip of coffee.

"She was up late working on another one of her projects," I replied, pulling away from the curb. "And needless to say, she hates road trips."

"Join the club," Elena muttered.

"I'm not _that_ bad," I exclaimed defensively.

"You're getting there," Miranda replied.

"I thought you were asleep," I replied, poking her in the side, causing her to jump.

"Watching you two is better than Saturday morning cartoons," Elena said, earning an eye roll from me.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I woke up, hitting my head on the roof of the car as I bounced in my seat.

"Huh?" I exclaimed sleepily. "What happened?" The sky, which was a bright blue when we left Mystic Falls, was now streaked with blues and pinks and oranges; did I really sleep for so long?

"Welcome to Chicago," Damon said. "Sorry about the bump; that off-ramp was nasty."

"You can tell me," Elena grumbled from the backseat, where she was hunched over, trying to grab something from under Damon's seat. She sat upright and dusted off an old diary. "Ugh. You might want to get rid of all the empty blood bags that are sitting down there Damon."

"Guy's gotta eat," Damon defended.

"What'cha got there?" I asked, turning in my seat so I was facing her.

"Stefan's diary," Elena replied. "Damon gave it to me and I've been _trying _to read it."

"Guy's gotta drive," Damon defended again. "Anyways, I would just put it away if I were you; Chicago is synonymous for potholes."

"That's not very nice," Elena replied, kicking the back of his seat.

"Hey, watch the upholstery," he exclaimed.

"Whatever." Elena was silent for a few moments and then we heard the sound of pages turning.

After about another 15 minutes of zigzagging through the trafficked streets of Chicago, Damon found a parking space on a crowded street filled with tourists and half run-down shops.

"Alright," he said. "End of the line: our first stop on the "Stefan Salvatore Rescue-slash-Nostalgia Tour.""

"What is this place?" Elena asked, peering out the window as I got out of the car. An old iron fire escape wrapped around the brick building, with a ladder partially suspended over the ground beside the entrance to an antique shop.

"It's Stefan's home sweet home," Damon said, popping the trunk of his car to remove the bags we brought along with us.

"This…this is where Stefan lived during the 20's?" Elena asked incredulously.

"Yep," he replied, popping the "p." We approached the door that led into the apartment portion of the building. I remembered this place, vaguely, and was shocked that the neighborhood had changed so much; but then again, that was 90 years ago, and I hadn't been sightseeing the last time I was here.

Damon, being Damon, didn't hesitate to break the doorknob so we could enter the building, no matter how unsafe it was for the other tenants.

"Stefan could live anywhere in Chicago and he chose this?" Elena asked with disdain as we traversed the staircase.

"There used to be an all-girls high school around the corner, but it shut down for attendance issues," Damon told her, stopping at the third floor landing; he looked back at me. "Do you remember? Was it the third or fourth floor?"

"Fourth," I told him.

"How sure are you?" he asked.

"95%?" I replied. He nodded and continued up.

"If you're trying to scare me into giving up, it's not going to work," Elena said resolutely.

"We aren't here to convince you to give up, Elena," I said. "We're here to get Stefan."

"Keep it quiet will you?" Damon asked with a smirk. "You'll disturb the neighbors."

"Oh shut up," I laughed. We stopped in front of the last door at the end of the hall on the fourth floor.

"Point of no return," Damon told Elena. "Shield your eyes if you have a weak stomach; there's no telling what could be in there."

"Just open it," she snapped. Damon smirked and, once again, broke the doorknob, giving us access into the domain of Stefan, the wild ripper.

* * *

**Elena's POV**

I followed Damon and Miranda into the apartment. It looked nothing like Stefan's room at the Boarding House, which was filled with books and knick knacks and mementos he had collected over the years. One lazy Saturday, back what felt like years ago, he had told me little stories of almost everything he had in there; the distant look in his eyes made me feel so sad for him and I was suddenly feeling that way again. I couldn't imagine Stefan living such a…barren life.

"Welcome to Stefan's second personality home," Damon exclaimed, extending his arms out to the room.

"He obviously hasn't been here," I commented, running my finger over a dusty couch. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a blood stain on the hardwood floor by the windows, right where Miranda was standing.

"Oh he'll come back," Miranda sighed. "He always comes back."

"What are you talking about?" I frowned.

"She means this," Damon replied, walking over to a small sunken-in wall-shelf in the kitchen. He felt alongside the decorative molding and pulled, revealing a pantry-like room that had been hidden in the wall; he turned on a low-hanging lightbulb to reveal a makeshift shelf system stacked with liquor bottles.

"Stefan hid his alcohol," I shrugged. "What a monster."

"Look harder," he said. I sighed and stepped into the hidden space, confused when I found what he was referring to.

"It's a list of names," I said. Hundreds of names were written on the wall, starting from the ceiling and ending at the floor in neat columns.

"Mmhmm," Damon replied.

"Why would Stefan keep a list of names hidden in his apartment?" I asked.

"Elena," I felt Miranda place a hand on my shoulders. "Why do_ you_ think he would keep a list of names?"

"These are all of his victims?" I finally realized, suddenly appalled by the sheer number.

"Can't handle it?" Damon asked snidely from outside. I turned on my heel and glared at him.

"And what were you doing in the 1920s?" I snapped. "Paving the way for women's liberation?"

"I was around," he scoffed. "Chicago was a big city, even back then, and Stefan was a cocky ripper douche. But I could avoid him and still indulge in a few Daisy Buchanans of my own."

"Ugh," I scoffed, scrunching up my nose in disgust._ That_ wasn't something I wanted a mental image of; thanks a lot Damon. He smirked and started for the door.

"Where are you going?" Miranda asked when she saw him.

"Stefan's old stomping ground," he shrugged. "Gloria will know where to find him."

"We're coming with you," I protested as he tried to leave.

"No," he shook his head. "You two are going to stay here and whip up an actual plan. I'll be back when I find him; until then, Miranda's in charge."

"What!" Miranda and I exclaimed simultaneously.

"See you later!" Damon waved and the door slammed shut behind him.

"I can't believe him!" I exclaimed, collapsing on the couch with huff. I crossed my arms over my chest and pouted. "This is unfair."

"Damon's Damon," Miranda shrugged, stepping out of the hidden nook. "We just have to wait."

I slouched deeper into the cushions, knowing she was right.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"God Stefan," I sighed as I looked over the shelves in the hidden closet; hoping to find some blood stashed away among the booze. I had forgotten to bring a few blood bags along for the trip, so after 12 hours on the road and 2 hours of waiting for Damon to return, I was starting to get hungry. "For a crazy ripper blood junkie, you really sucked when it came to storing blood." I had even hidden a few bottles of blood during the 20s and the 30s, in case of an emergency, but I guess Stefan believed that fresh and screaming was the best in any situation.

I walked back into the main part of the apartment and found Elena on Stefan's bed, engrossed in his diary. She wouldn't mind if I left her for a few minutes to feed, would she? What would I say, though, that wouldn't end awkwardly.

"Hey Miranda," Elena looked up from the diary. "Did you know Stefan's friend Lexi?"

"I met her once. Here in Chicago, in fact, in 1927."

"1927?" Elena frowned, flipping a few pages. "Stefan wrote about—"

"Shh." I stopped her, distantly hearing some very familiar voices.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Klaus and Stefan," I replied. We were completely silent for a moment and Elena's eyes went wide in panic. Their muffled chatter became louder, as did their footsteps, as they ascended the stairs.

"What do we do?" Elena whispered. I placed a finger over my lips and mouthed the word "hide." I grabbed both of our bags and pulled her off the bed, quickly glancing around to make sure nothing was out of place, then I ushered her over to the hidden closet. I could hear Elena's heart beating wildly as I pulled the cabinet closed, sealing us in the small, dark space.

"You need to calm down Elena," I whispered.

"I'm trying," she whispered in reply. There was a loud bang as the door to the apartment opened and Elena slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from shrieking in shock.

"Do you feel that?" I heard Klaus ask, his voice slightly muffled. "Is anybody here?"

"It's been vacant for decades," Stefan replied. "People must break in all the time." Klaus hummed in response. "Why'd you bring me here?"

"Your friend, Liam Grant, the one who drank his wife's blood…" he began. "I never could figure out why you wanted his name, and then you told me your little secret: it was all part of your special little ritual."

"To write it down…"

"And relive the kill. Over and over again." A set of footsteps got louder and suddenly the cabinet swung open to reveal our hiding spot. I pressed myself into the hard wall beside the door, and I turned my head to see Elena doing the same thing, her eyes wide with horror. "Do you believe me now?" Klaus asked.

Another set of footsteps crossed the room, and Stefan walked past the threshold and into the small space; his breath hitched just so when he saw Elena, and quickly turned his head towards me. I shook my head at his questioning gaze, and he frowned; he looked back to Elena and then called out to Klaus.

"Look what I found," he said. He reached up and grabbed a bottle from the old shelf and turned on his heel. "1918. Single malt."

"My favorite," Klaus replied, the smirk evident in his voice. "Well…let's go find someone to pair it with." Elena and I waited for at least 10 minutes after they left to go back out into the apartment, and Elena attacked me in a hug.

"I was so afraid," she muttered. "Afraid of Klaus…afraid of Stefan. I never thought I would be afraid of Stefan."

"Don't worry," I told her in a comforting voice. "They're gone and they're not coming back. It'll be alright."

"Thank you for being here. I don't know what I would've done if I was here alone."

"Elena," I began, grabbing her shoulders. "Take a deep breath. I'll call Damon and we'll go home. End of story."

"No," she replied shakily. "I don't want to go home unless Stefan's with us."

"That's the spirit. Everything's going to be alright."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I had still been at Gloria's when Miranda called, with Elena yelling less-than-pleasant things to me in the background, to let me of Stefan and Klaus' little field trip to the apartment. By the time I returned, I found Miranda lounging on the couch, sipping from a plastic coffee cup as Elena sat on Stefan's bed with her own to-go cup in one hand, and a vervain dart clutched in the other.

"Finally!" Elena exclaimed when she saw me.

"You know that it's been an hour since I called you?" Miranda asked.

"I had to make a little pit-stop on my way back," I replied, tossing a shopping bag at Elena. "Go make yourself presentable," I told her.

"We were practically discovered by Klaus and you're worried about what I'm wearing?" Elena asked incredulously.

"I had an hour to realize that it was a bad idea to leave you both here, process it and move on," I replied, collapsing on the couch beside Miranda. "So go and get dressed because you're all road trippy and gross; not exactly the perfect "I love you, run away with me" image you want to give my brother."

"So you know where he's going to be?"

"Yes."

"Alone?" Miranda asked.

"Not…exactly. You and I will be distracting Klaus while Elena deals with Stefan."

"That doesn't sound too…safe."

"It isn't," I shrugged. "But we only have one chance; better make it a good one."

"Thank you," Elena said. "Both of you."

"Are you going to be ok?" Miranda asked her.

"Yeah," Elena nodded. "I can do this." I grabbed Miranda's hand and stood, pulling her up with me.

"We'll be waiting by the car," I told her. Elena nodded and I pulled Miranda outside. As soon as the apartment door closed behind us, I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her with as much force as I could.

"Okay," Miranda said, out of breath once I pulled away. "Not that it was unpleasant, but it was definitely unexpected. Hello."

"I was worried," I told her, thumbing her sides as my arms encircled her waist. "I can't help it."

"Oh stop," she scoffed. "I handled it, nothing happened, we got coffee and the world kept turning without Super Damon to save us."

"So I'm a superhero now?" I asked with a smirk. "When did that happen?"

"Since you started the "Save Stefan at all Costs" war campaign," she replied. I leaned closer and ran my lips over the pulse point in her neck, earning a sharp intake of breath and a small moan as I bit down on it gently.

"Maybe I'm just playing?" I whispered. "Maybe I'm all bad?"

"That's a very interesting notion," Miranda muttered. "I like it…but I'll have to think about it."

"Let's make a deal, then," I began with a smirk. "If, in some crazy miracle, we both actually survive distracting Klaus and we make it back to Mystic Falls with Stefan, I'll show you just how good bad can be."

"Sometimes I don't believe you're real," Miranda laughed, shoving me away from her. "I mean, we're about to go and stare death in the face tonight…and all you can think about it sex?"

"More or less."

"You're…unbelievable," she replied with a roll of her eyes. I took a moment to stare at her, to take in her features for what might be the last time: her curly hair, her striking green eyes, her plush lips.

"I love you Miranda," I said suddenly. Miranda stopped playing with her straw and looked up at me; she blinked twice and smiled.

"I love you too Damon," she replied, taking my hand with one of hers and squeezing.

**A/N: Sorry for the wait; school is in a month—SENIOR YEAR!—and I've been trying to pack as much stuff into the time I have left. Unfortunately, publishing this chapter took a backburner with all the planning and I only remembered when I got home from grocery shopping a few hours ago. OOPS! Big oops. It goes the same for the next chapter of "Smoke in the Air" too. Sorry again!**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter; the next one will conclude **_**"End of the Affair." **_**I had meant for it to be one chapter, but then it was a little too long for my taste, so I split it up. Reviews are always appreciated and once again will get you a preview of the next chapter. So Review! Questions, comments, concerns…anything! Until next time!**


	60. Painful Encounters

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

-_Chicago, 1927-_

_ Gloria's was overrun with dancers, drunks and adventurers. The norm, I supposed, for a Saturday night. The noise was making me feel nauseous, and I suddenly wished I had stayed at my apartment with a good book and my collection of wine which would make any prohibition agent drop dead, but I didn't exactly want to leave when the rest of my friends were still here. They were all part of my charade—new identity, new personality, new circle of human friends._

_ "Are you alright Miranda?" Henry asked from across the booth. "You look a bit pale."_

_ "I'm fine," I replied. "Just taking it all in."_

_ "Is it any different than the speakeasies in New York?"_

_ "Yes," Henry smiled at my response._

_ "We need another bottle of champagne," Dale giggled._

_ "I don't see any of the waiters," her husband, Freddie, observed. "Who'll make a bar run? Richard?"_

_ "Sorry, old friend. I'm going to see which tables are playing poker," Richard replied. "I'm determined to win tonight._

_ "I'll go," I offered, downing the rest of my own champagne. I scooted out of the leather booth and brushed off my dress, the beaded fringes tickling my knees as I stood._

_ "Oh, you don't have to go," Charlotte replied, grabbing my hand. "Richard, you can play poker _after_ the champagne."_

_ "It's alright," I laughed. "Let him lose his money; I'll get the champagne and I'll be right back."_

_ "See what you've done?" Charlotte scolded as I headed toward the bar. I stopped when I got to the crowded bar, managing to squeeze into a small unoccupied space in front of the club's proprietor, Gloria, a young witch who had helped me a few weeks ago when I arrived in Chicago._

_ "More champagne?" she asked with a smirk._

_ "I think they're inhaling it rather than drinking it," I replied._

_ "We'll have to get another crate from the store room," Gloria explained, tapping one of the bartenders on the shoulder to send him on the errand. "Are you alright; you look a bit worse for wear."_

_ "I think that memory spell you did is affecting me," I told her._

_ "But you said it hasn't worked yet," she replied._

_ "It hasn't."_

_ "Then you must be thinking about it too much. The spell I cast takes time and works better subconsciously," Gloria explained. "If you concentrate on what you want to remember, it'll drain your life force, bit by bit."_

_ "I can't keep living like this, Gloria," I snapped. "I know when I've been compelled."_

_ "Then stop worrying," she shrugged._

"_I want to know _why."

"_It'll work itself out in time and if it doesn't..."_

_ "Brought your champagne up, Miss Gloria," the bartender interrupted her, placing the wooden crate onto the bar top._

_ "Thank you," Gloria replied, pulling a bottle out of its slot. She slid it over to me and smiled. "On the house," she told me. "But only if you allow your mind to rest."_

_ "Easier said than done," I replied. "But thank you." I took the bottle and turned on my heel to return to my friends. I had barely taken a step when I heard a very familiar voice._

_ "This isn't a good idea Lexi," it said. "What if I can't handle this many?"_

_ "Then stay until you're sure you'll snap, count to three, and run like the wind," another, feminine voice replied._

_ "Easier said than done," the first voice laughed. "You're not the one who can decimate an entire room in seconds flat."_

_ "I'm sure Gloria can handle you if you were to attack."_

_ "Yeah." There was a sigh. "I need a drink."_

_ Stefan Salvatore was here. At Gloria's. And I knew that wherever he was, Damon was sure to be close by. _

_ "I need to get out of here," I muttered, rushing through the crowd to get to my table._

"_You guys were right," I said, setting the bottle of champagne down. "I'm starting to feel a bit ill; I think I should go home."_

"_Aw, but we were having so much fun!" Dale whined._

"_I know," I replied with a frown as I grabbed my clutch purse. "But I don't want to ruin your night; don't worry about me. Enjoy the rest of the night."_

"_Maybe I should walk you home," Henry offered, getting up from his seat. "I don't like the thought of you walking around alone at this time of night." I smiled and kissed his cheek._

"_I'll be fine."_

"_You sure?"_

_ "Positively."_

_ I waved goodbye and left Gloria's as quickly as I could, completely unaware of the furious set of eyes watching me as I did._

* * *

Damon and I had split up after we arrived at Gloria's; his job was to lure Stefan outside and mine was to distract Klaus for as long as I could so Elena could convince him to come home with us. As soon as I set foot into the bar, I noticed all the changes that had been made—I didn't expect it to stay the same after 90 years, of course—and stopped in my tracks. My eyes roamed around the quickly emptying room for Klaus and, conveniently, found him hunched over a bottle of whiskey at the bar. I rushed across the room and slipped onto the barstool beside him.

"Fancy meeting you here," I said. He looked over at me with a lazy grin.

"Miranda," he greeted. "I was just thinking about you."

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Don't worry," he replied. "Nothing too bad."

"Good to know."

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"I'm visiting some old friends," I replied.

"Dead or alive?" he joked.

"Yes." Klaus chuckled at my response.

"There's the quick wit I know and love." He lifted his glass to his lips and paused. "So why are you really here? Did you come to your senses and break up with Damon?"

"No."

"Why not? I'll have you know that there are better catches out there than him."

"Like you?"

"_Like_ me, but not me," Klaus replied with a knowing smirk. "Or have you _forgotten_?" I frowned and glared at him; he was pushing my buttons.

"You know, I don't like it when douche bags upset my girlfriend," Damon said as he appeared on the opposite side of Klaus. "Especially hybrid douche bags."

"Speak of the devil," Klaus said to me. "I knew you were up to something."

"Just give Stefan back and we'll be out of your hair forever," Damon offered.

"However tempting that sounds, I'm afraid it'll have to be a no," Klaus replied.

"Counter offer?" Damon asked.

"I could just kill you," Klaus began, "but I've promised your brother that I wouldn't let you die. Normally, I am a man of my word, but clearly you want to die…otherwise you wouldn't be here."

"You wouldn't kill us," Damon smirked. "We're too much fun."

"Miranda, no. I wouldn't kill her," Klaus shrugged. "You on the other hand…" There was a blur of movement and suddenly Damon was crashing into a table from the force of Klaus' throw. I was about to rush over to him to help, but within seconds, _I_ was airborne and crashing into the piano on the stage.

"I'm really going to enjoy this," Klaus chuckled. The sound of wood snapping reached my senses as I tried to catch my breath, and I quickly rushed across the room and jumped on Klaus' back before he could get to Damon.

"I can't let you do that," I said, tightening my arms around his neck.

"So protective, aren't you?" Klaus asked.

"You could say that?"

"I could just compel _you_ to kill him, you know," he said. With that, he caught me off guard and I landed behind the bar after he tossed me like a plush toy. I groaned and opened my eyes to see Gloria looking down at me with wide eyes.

"Alright, enough!" She exclaimed, turning her attention away from me. There was the sound of the makeshift stake clattering to the ground and relief flooded through me as I realized Damon was still alive.

"Really?" Klaus asked.

"Not in my bar," Gloria replied. "You want to fight, you take it outside."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I breathed a sigh of relief; Miranda was doing well distracting Klaus, but I saw the look in her eye and I had to give her a little bit of backup. Maybe I had pushed it a little bit, but thank god for Gloria.

Klaus scowled and looked back at me with a murderous glare.

"You don't have to negotiate your brother's freedom," he said. "When I'm done with him, he won't want to go back."

Klaus stood up and glanced around the bar, and then disappeared. I groaned and peeled myself off of the floor, my entire body heavy as I healed.

"Are you alright?" Miranda asked from behind the bar, where Gloria was helping her to her feet.

"Yeah, you?" I asked.

"Eh…I'll be better once I get some blood," she replied. Gloria winced and Miranda smiled apologetically. "Sorry."

"Around here, I hear it more than I want to," Gloria replied with a sigh. "Looks like I need a new piano."

"I've got a guy in Wisconsin," Miranda told her, a pop following her words as she relocated her shoulder. "I'll take care of it."

"Miranda Bailey," Gloria laughed. "You've got more connections than the mob."

"It helps," Miranda replied. "And it's not Bailey anymore. It's Avery."

"From the way you were trying to save Damon's ass, I would've thought it was Salvatore."

"Funny thing," I said, walking over to the bar. "Lately I've been thinking that Miranda Salvatore has a nice ring to it." Miranda rolled her eyes at me with a small smile on her lips.

"You want a drink?" Gloria asked.

"I don't want one; I _need_ one," I answered, falling onto a barstool. "Something that'll make me forget _my own_ name." Gloria passed me a bottle of scotch. "Thank you."

"So," Gloria began, crossing her arms over her chest as she turned to Miranda. "Last I heard of you was 1927. How did you end up in this mess?"

"It's a long story," Miranda sighed. "And it's late."

"It's not that late," I replied.

"You do realize that it's…one in the morning," Miranda said, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

"So?"

"So we won't get back to Virginia until tomorrow afternoon," she replied, causing me to wince. Maybe she had been right about toning down on all the road trip rescue missions we've been embarking since summer began.

"It was lovely to see you again, Gloria," I said, standing up. I lifted up the scotch. "Alright if I take this to-go?"

"Are you driving?" she asked.

"Wouldn't dream of it," I lied, unscrewing the cap from the bottle so I could take a drink.

Miranda stopped me outside before we made it to the car; I frowned in confusion and she pointed at the car. Sitting in the backseat with unshed tears in her eyes was Elena, fiddling with her necklace as if it was the only thing keeping her alive.

"Don't be an ass," Miranda pleaded.

"I won't," I replied.

We got into the car as quietly as we could, and I looked at Elena through the rear-view mirror.

"You ok?" I asked.

"Just drive," she replied, voice cracking slightly. Her eyes watered even more and she shook her head. "I want to go home."

"Alright," I nodded, starting the car.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

_I looked over the edge of the building; Chicago was beautiful. I thought back to hundreds of years ago when I thought my home by the sea was the most beautiful thing in the world, and while that was still true to some extent, I don't think I could've fathomed seeing cities with buildings that touched the sky or cathedrals with beautiful stained glass windows. But here I was, 1927, and the world was so different._

_ I closed my eyes and felt the wind rush around me, thinking about how perfect it felt. I could remember heartbreak and suffering and betrayal, and sometimes, no matter how much I thought and searched, there would be nothing at all. The wind, though, that feeling was solid, and I could never get enough of it._

_ I pushed myself onto the stone ledge of the balcony; I needed to feel something solid. How many times had I done this before? Once more couldn't hurt. It would hurt, yes, but I would heal. That was the feeling I wanted; the feeling of bones popping back into place and tissue regenerating. No matter how much it hurt, that feeling of healing—the feeling that it would all be ok—was what I wanted. Maybe, sometime later in life, all those wounds that never fully healed would be ok too. All those memories would come rushing back and my life wouldn't seem like a puzzle. I could only hope._

_ "Miranda!" That voice was so familiar. Maybe I was hallucinating…that would be a first. "Miranda!"_

_ Suddenly, I felt myself being thrown backwards, my back hitting the floor of the balcony with a sickening crunch. My bones mended themselves quickly, but before I could react, I was pinned against the wall, right next to the door. I opened my eyes to find a seething—_

_ "Stefan?" I asked._

* * *

I was happy that the Grill was still serving the breakfast menu when we got back to Mystic Falls; I needed coffee and pancakes almost as much as—if not more than—I needed blood. Damon had dropped me off here before taking Elena home; when I saw her crying as she slept, I became worried, and wondered just what Stefan had said to make her so upset.

"You look content," Damon said, sliding into the other side of the booth.

"Not nearly as content as I could be," I sighed, sipping my coffee. "I just want to eat and go home; I am in serious need of some sleep."

"You could've slept on the way home," he shrugged.

"And trust you to drive drunk and tired?" I scoffed. "No thank you."

"I wasn't that drunk," Damon replied with a devious smirk. I rolled my eyes at him as he reached over and took my coffee cup, choking a little as he took a sip from it. "God. How do you drink it like that?"

"Not all of us like our coffee bitter," I said, taking my cup back. I asked the waitress if she could bring Damon a cup of coffee as she put my order of pancakes on the table. "So how's Elena?" I asked.

"Sleeping, I assume," Damon shrugged. "She didn't say anything when I brought her home. She just ran upstairs and slammed her bedroom door shut; Jeremy looked a little worried."

"What did Stefan say to you?" I asked.

"Klaus' hybrids aren't working," he sighed. "Stefan thinks it's because Elena's alive."

"That makes sense," I nodded. "The ritual required the doppelganger to die and she didn't...well technically. Does Klaus know?"

"No, that's why they're in Chicago; he enlisted in Gloria's witch juju to help him figure it out."

"So I guess it's good that we got out of there when we did," I said. "A few second more..."

"And Klaus would've killed both of us and found Elena with Stefan."

We were silent for a few seconds.

"How are you doing?" Damon asked. "You looked a little...shaken when I intervened."

"You know how Klaus is," I replied, waving my hand passively. "He tries to get into your head."

"He _did_ get into your head," Damon remarked.

"Just a little," I shrugged, taking a bite of my pancakes. "I could've handled it."

"What did he say?" Damon asked.

"It was nothing."

"What did he say?" I paused and frowned.

"Gloria mentioned that the last she saw me was 1927," I began. "I had gone to Chicago because of her, actually; there had been rumors that a very powerful witch was running a speakeasy and I thought she could help me."

"Help you?" Damon cocked his head to one side in confusion. "With what?"

"I needed someone to help me remember things I had forgotten. Things I had been compelled to forget." I explained.

"How did you know you had been compelled?"

"Klaus used to compel me to forget little things when I was travelling with him and Elijah after I was turned. Those didn't bother me; I hardly knew what had happened. But it's kind of hard not to realize when more is missing. I can't remember anything from 1905 to 1911."

"Ouch," Damon winced.

"Tell me about it." I paused. "Do you remember when I came back to Mystic Falls last year? You didn't remember what Katherine had compelled you to forget from 1864, but Emily worked out some sort of spell to keep those memories forgotten in case you became a vampire."

"And then I remembered, after I found out that Katherine wasn't in the tomb." Damon recalled. "You said all magic has a loophole."

"It's true," I told him. "Ironically, that's how Stefan was able to remember what really happened in 1864; he saw me at Gloria's and we got into a bit of a scramble in my apartment building. Eventually, his emotions were so conflicted, the magic wasn't able to contain the truth anymore. I had seen it happen before and I figured if magic could keep memories contained, it could also release them."

"Did it work?" Damon asked.

"Unfortunately, it didn't," I sighed. "And that was what Klaus was using to get into my head. He was...taunting me."

"That...sucks."

"Yeah," I laughed dryly.

"Do you still want to know what he made you forget?" he asked.

"Not really," I replied. "That was a long time ago. It's not like I'm going to get them back anyways."

** A/N: Ok, another chapter done. It's shorter than usual, and the end kinda sucks, but I was trying to make it a little...foreboding. I mentioned something about Miranda being compelled to forget things in some of the season 2 chapters, but here's a little spoiler for you: Miranda's forgotten memories will be playing a part in Season 3.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter regardless. Reviews are always appreciated and they will get you a sneak peek of the next chapter. So review; questions, comments, concerns. Anything! Until next time!**


	61. Blood, Blood, Blood

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

Days like today made me thankful for my vampire speed…and for wine. My kitchen was running on overdrive; my mixer was mixing on full power, my oven was full of delicate, fluffy dough and my stovetop was crowded with bubbling fruity concoctions.

"Stupid potluck," I muttered, downing yet another glass of sauvignon blanc. After going the entire summer with a cold shoulder from Carol Lockwood, she called me last night to ask if I'd be willing to bring dessert to the annual Founder's Council potluck picnic. Of course I said yes; I'd basically been shunned at all the Historical Society meetings and I wanted to get back into my previously normal—as normal as being a centuries-old vampire could get—life.

Apparently though, in all the excitement of finally being included again, I had lost my brain. The entire town was going to the potluck, and Carol had said that _no one_ had mentioned they were bringing dessert.

"I'm your girl," I told her excitedly. "You can count on me!"

How stupid was I?

About seven hours and an endless amount of pastry dough and chantilly cream later, I was honestly considering staking myself. Why didn't I just tell her I was going to make chili?

"Thank god," Damon sighed as he walked into my kitchen. "You aren't bringing chili."

"I was just thinking about that, actually," I told him. "Why are you so relieved?"

"_Everyone_ brings chili," he replied.

"I don't think that every—"

"_Everyone_."

"But—"

"Elena's bringing chili. An old family recipe. Everyone. Brings. Chili."

"Good to know," I nodded. "Next time…I'm bringing chili." Damon rolled his eyes and grabbed me by the waist, pulling me flush against him.

"Good morning," he muttered, pushing my bangs out of my eyes.

"Have you seen this mess?" I asked, motioning around us. "There's nothing good about it."

"Until I showed up of course," Damon smirked and leaned in to kiss me. I immediately put a hand to his lips.

"Did you use the doorbell?" I asked, teasing him.

"No."

"Did you break my doorknob again?"

"Didn't need to; the door was open."

"Good enough," I laughed and moved my hand away. His lips met mine in an instant, and I vaguely remember dropping my wineglass as I wrapped my arms around his neck. After a few moments, Damon pulled away and whispered something in my ear.

"No," I snapped, pushing him away as his lips grazed my neck.

"Why not?" he asked.

"You've ruined way too many of my clothes already," I replied. "And I would hate to throw away another favorite shirt because of blood stains."

"I'll get you a new one." Damon sighed. I stayed silent. "Come on. I've tasted your blood before Miranda."

"Yeah well…"

"And that was when we still hated each other."

"I never hated you," I laughed dryly.

"And I never hated you either." Damon cupped my cheek in his hand. "We were both hurt, and you still let me drink from you. But here we are now, so far from that."

He was about to continue when his phone began vibrating. He groaned and answered it.

"Yes?" There was a long pause. "Alright. I'll be there in ten minutes…Yeah…No…Yeah." He closed his phone and rolled his eyes.

"Problem?" I asked, trying to hide the relief in my voice.

"Turns out that we have a little…situation on our hands."

"What kind of situation?"

"Liz's ex-husband came to town the other day and was torturing Caroline to stop her vampirism," he said. "Apparently, he's anti-vamp in a serious way."

"Do you need any help?" I asked.

"No, but I need to go." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Do _you_ need any help bringing this stuff to the potluck?"

"No," I shook my head with a smile. "I've got it."

"I'll see you there then," he nodded. Damon leaned down and kissed me one last time, putting as much passion and love as he could into it. As he left, I slid down to the ground.

I reflected on all of the times I had thought about drinking from him. Oh I wanted to. Blood-sharing was the ultimate level of connection, of love. You didn't just drink from someone you were having a one-night stand with. I didn't know _why_ I had let Damon drink from me all those months ago; when I had first become a vampire, Elijah did everything he could to instill the idea of blood purity into me.

You never shared blood unless absolutely necessary; unless you were absolutely sure in your heart that you should. It was the reason I had never turned anyone; I had planned to turn Damon in 1864, but then all that _drama_ happened, and I had never felt the same way about anyone else since then.

But this was now, and I loved him—Oh, God, I loved him so much—and I knew he loved me too. So then what the hell was the matter with me?

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I got out of my car and spotted Liz approaching from across the town square.

"I'm glad you could make it," she said when she got close enough.

"You sounded pretty serious," I replied. "How's Caroline doing?"

"I made sure she had enough blood these last few days. She's going to be spending most of the day with Bonnie and Elena, so I'm not too worried." She motioned for me to follow her. "Come on."

"So Mayor Lockwood called your gay ex-husband to torture your vampire daughter," I said. "Sounds like the opening to a really bad joke."

"Or a really bad soap opera," Liz sighed. "I've been keeping him detained to make sure the vervain is out of his system. As far as I could tell from my experience, it is, so now you could…you know—"

"Compel him?" I asked, earning a nod. "Can't we just kill him?"

"No, Damon!" she snapped. "He's Caroline's father!"

"He sounds like a grade-A douche bag to me; more trouble than he's worth," I replied as we reached the doors to the police station.

"Yeah, well, just because you and I are on ok terms doesn't mean that I'm suddenly a big advocate of your…lifestyle."

"Is that what you told him when you two got divorced?" I asked, holding the door open for her.

"That's not very funny Damon," Liz scoffed. I was about to go towards the area where the jail cells were when she stopped me. "It's this way."

"Creepy," I said as she led me into an old, dilapidated stairway.

"You might want to double-check him for vervain before you try to compel him," Liz began, ignoring my comment. "Bill has always been…prepared." At the bottom of the staircase was an old metal door; Liz took a skeleton key from her pocket and unlocked it, then motioned for me to go inside.

The first thing I saw when I walked in was a man sitting in a chair, his hands manacled to the armrests, surrounded a bright beam of light coming from an old, intricately grated window. I took a step towards him and pulled the strip of silver duct tape from his mouth.

"You brought another vampire into this?" he asked, looking behind me at Liz.

"It's the best thing for all of us, Bill," she replied.

"So Bill," I began in a friendly tone. "I hear you're into the whole daddy-daughter vampire torture thing. Kinda gross, if you ask me."

"I was trying to help her," Bill snapped.

"Well, if there's anyone who doesn't need help, it's your annoying control freak of a daughter," I paused. "No offense Liz."

"None taken," came the reply. I nodded and then pounced, sinking my fangs into Bill's neck, his blood flowing easily into my mouth. After a few seconds, I backed away from him.

"Yep. Vervain-free. And surprisingly, you taste younger than what I would've pegged you for. What are you? 40? 50?"

"I shop at Whole Foods," Bill sneered.

"That's enough," Liz snapped. "Just erase his memory, Damon."

"Alright," I waved her back. "So, Bill. I have a question. What makes you think that you can change the basic nature of a vampire?"

"The mind's a powerful tool," he answered. "It can be trained and retrained. You just have to be strong enough."

"Oh yeah?" I asked. "I completely agree. I actually happen to love mind control, myself." I grabbed his face and turned him so he would look me in the eye.

"You will leave town immediately," I compelled him. "All you remember is that you came to bring your daughter back-to-school shopping."

"I brought my daughter back-to-school shopping," Bill repeated with a nod, his expression blank. I let go of his face and turned to Liz.

"That's it?" she asked.

"That's it." I nodded. "Now…I have a potluck to get to."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I should've asked Damon for help bringing the pastries to the Lockwood's mansion for the potluck. I didn't have any trouble moving them onto trays and then into my car, but thanks to the Lockwood's impossibly long driveway, it took _such_ a long time to bring to the house.

"Oh Miranda, these look so beautiful," Carol gushed as I arranged the trays on a gingham-clad picnic table. "Homemade?"

"Absolutely," I nodded.

"How wonderful," she smiled and went to greet some guests. Odd. Carol had been sneery, bitch-face, anti-vamp all summer, and now she's acting like my best friend.

"Huh," I sighed.

"So it turns out," the smooth voice in my ear alerted me to Damon's presence. "That Carol knows that Tyler's a werewolf." Well, that solves my conundrum.

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"Heard it from Liz who heard it from Caroline who heard it from Tyler," he shrugged. "Figures," I replied with a roll of my eyes.

"News travels fast in this town. You've got to keep up." He looked down at my pastries; he picked up a tiny éclair and lifted it to eye level. "These look nice. If you still have leftover cream, we could have a little fun later…"

"You do realize that we're at a potluck surrounded by all of our neighbors—"

"So?" he asked, popping the éclair into his mouth.

"—and all of our neighbors' children." I concluded.

"Hey, they've gotta learn this stuff somewhere," he scoffed and grabbed my hand. "Come on; I'm starving."

It didn't take too long before Rick found us by the chili table. Damon had me taste all the chilis the different founding families had made. They weren't _too_ horrible; I actually liked the Fells' chili.

"There you guys are," Rick said when he joined us. "I thought that I was going to be stuck with the other boring teachers. Beer?"

"You know that you just called yourself a boring teacher," I pointed out, taking a bottle from him.

"Admittance is the first step to recovery," Damon said. I slapped him in the chest.

"That's not what I meant," I laughed.

"Haha," Rick rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I didn't even want to come, but I didn't have any food in my apartment and I didn't feel like going to the store."

"I'm going to let you in on a little secret," Damon began. "Founder's parties are just an excuse for the council to gather in back rooms and plot against vampires."

"Unsuccessfully," Rick laughed.

"Well it's not like we've been attacking people for blood. No matter how tempting fresh blood is," Damon replied. I could feel his hand tense up a little bit in mine and I frowned. "As far as the council knows, there aren't any harmful vampires left in town."

"Yep," Rick sighed. "Just a bunch of _law abiding citizens_." Yeah; I don't think I can count how many laws we've broken over the past month, let alone the past year.

"Uh, Damon?" We all turned to see Liz Forbes standing behind us. "Sorry for interrupting. The mayor just called for the council meeting."

"Alright," he sighed. "See you guys later."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"There's not enough liquor in the world," I sighed, walking out of the Lockwood Mansion later that night. The Council meeting had gone well enough; aside from Carol, Liz and I, no one knew that anything was going on. Then at the very tail end of the meeting my new friend Bill decided to show up.

Ah yes, what a treat that was, finding out that he couldn't be compelled. At first, I figured that I might be getting rusty having not used compulsion in a while, but after listening to him talk, it was clear that he had found a way to avoid compulsion without vervain.

I spotted Miranda walking down the driveway with Elena and Rick and called out to them.

"Hey, how was the meeting?" she asked.

"We have a little situation," I replied. "I'm going to need your help."

"Sure," she nodded. I grabbed her hand and was about to pull her back to the house when Elena stopped me.

"What happened?" she asked. "Where have you been? The meeting ended a while ago."

"I've been managing Bill Forbes," I sighed. "Apparently, he's impervious to compulsion."

"How?" Rick frowned.

"No idea, but he threatened to out me," I scoffed. "Don't get me started on the irony of that."

"How do you know the compulsion doesn't work?" Elena asked.

"I don't, that's why I need Miranda. But really, Elena; that's not the most important information I mentioned," I replied.

"Well what does he want?" Miranda asked.

"He wants to control the council. He says that it's been compromised."

"Well," Rick laughed. "It kinda has."

"He wants to put vervain in the town's water supply."

"Maybe that's not such a bad idea," Elena shrugged. "It'll help you guys keep yourselves in check."

"Keep us in check?" Miranda frowned. "We already are in check."

"You know what I mean," Elena sighed.

"I should've just killed him this morning," I muttered, running a hand through my hair.

"He's Caroline's dad, Damon," Elena exclaimed.

"You can't just kill him."

"Damon already said compulsion doesn't work," Miranda shrugged. "What else are we going to do? Tie him to a chair and tape his mouth shut?"

"Already tried that," I told her. "Didn't really work."

"What?" Elena asked incredulously. "How could you do something like that?"

"I had to," I replied taking a step closer to her. "Maybe you don't understand; you're not a vampire. How could you? Vervain is _poison_; put it in the drinking water and suddenly the town isn't protected anymore."

"Listen, man," Rick said, stepping in front of Elena. "You need to back off and take a beat. Killing Bill Forbes isn't going to solve your problems."

"You know what Rick," I began, feeling my temper get out of hand. "_You_ need to take a beat and think about two things. One, you're not on the council. I am."

"Damon," Miranda muttered, placing a hand on my arm. "Calm down."

"And two?" Rick asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"I do what I want," I said casually, then quickly snapped his neck.

"Oh my god!" Elena exclaimed, stepping out of the way as his body fell to the ground. "Why did you do that? Miranda! Why did you let him do that?"

"I—" Miranda was wide-eyed and speechless.

"Rick was asking for it," I snapped.

"What?" Elena asked. "What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing," I said. "I do what I want. Come on Miranda; we have something to take care of." I grabbed her hand and pulled her back into the house. As soon as we were inside, I looked at Miranda, who was looking at me with disappointment.

"You know that what you did was wrong, yeah?" she asked.

"Maybe it was wrong," I replied. "But he has his ring. It'll be fine."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I walked into Mayor Lockwood's study, quickly looking back at Damon, who was standing in the hall nodding and waving me forward, and then focused on the task at hand. Taking a quick breath, I put on my dumb-human act.

"Oops, sorry," I giggled, causing the man—Bill Forbes—to turn around. "I guess I have the wrong room. Do you happen to know where the bathroom is? I spilled wine on my dress." I motioned to the deep red, almost purple, stain on my sundress; another part of my wardrobe ruined thanks to Damon Salvatore.

"I think it's down the hall," he replied, motioning away from himself vaguely.

"Just down the hall?" I asked. "Or, like, way down the hall?"

"I can't really remember; I haven't been to one of these parties in at least two years."

"Moved away?"

"Divorced; kinda had to," he shrugged. I smiled and caught his gaze.

"What are you doing back in town, then?" I compelled, trying something simple that wouldn't really give me away.

"I…" Bill paused for a long moment and laughed. "You know, you had me fooled. Even with the compulsion, I genuinely thought you were just curious. You can come in now, Damon; I know you're out there."

"Hello again, Bill," Damon greeted as he suddenly appeared beside me.

"Nice try," Bill laughed, walking over to a small table filled with crystal decanters. "You're girlfriend is pretty strong; you, however…eh, your technique is lacking." He poured himself a glass of scotch and then turned to face us again.

"I figured you for an abstainer," Damon mocked.

"Everything in moderation," Bill shrugged, sipping his scotch. "Keeps the mind clear from influence."

"You know, I'm impressed," I told him honestly. "I've never met someone who can avoid vampire compulsion."

"Takes practice," Bill replied. "Decades of practice."

"Duly noted," Damon sneered. "Why not just expose us to the council? Why go through this drawn out act."

"I'm not a bad guy. Really I'm not. If it weren't for Caroline, I would shout it from the rooftops, but I care for my daughter."

"Care enough to torture her?" I asked.

"I was trying to teach her some self-control," Bill sighed. "Didn't seem to work."

"Why not just leave then?" Damon asked. "If you don't want to hurt Caroline, then you would just pack your bags and get out. It's what's best for everyone." Bill watched us for a minute or two, so pensive I could practically see the thoughts racing in his eyes.

"You know what? I could leave," he finally replied. "But what's the fun in that? Besides, you two aren't dumb enough to kill the sheriff's ex-husband." Damon looked at me and laughed.

"I hate it when people underestimate me," he laughed and rushed across the room, his fangs in Bill Forbes' neck before I could even blink.

"Damon!" I exclaimed, about to stop him. He dropped Bill to the ground and sighed blissfully, his chin, lips and teeth stained red with blood. "What the hell?"

"Whoo," he laughed. "I'm so used to walking on thin ice in this town, I keep forgetting how good it is from the vein. So…fresh."

"Damon, come on," I sighed, moving to help Bill.

"Come on Miranda," Damon rushed in front of my and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Let loose a little. Have some fun."

"Damon, really—"

"How long has it been since you tasted fresh blood?" he asked in a gentle tone. I was about to push him away when his kissed me hard. As the taste and smell of Bill Forbes' blood began to overwhelm my senses, and Damon's passionate kiss destroyed my self-control, I began to count the days it had been since I _had_ fed from humans. Probably since before I moved back to Mystic Falls. So long. Too long. And the blood bags _were_ starting to get stale and beginning to taste like plastic.

I hadn't even notice that Damon had pulled away until my forehead fell against his and I moaned softly.

"Good, huh?" he whispered against my lips. I groaned in response, licking the traces of blood off my lips. "Want some more?"

"Hmm," I sighed. Damon rushed us back over to Bill and pushed me against the wound on his neck, then immediately went for the other side. I didn't drink as savagely as Damon did, instead taking my time to enjoy the feel of the blood naturally pulsing through the veins.

"What the hell is going on in here?"

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I felt Miranda jump to her feet, and soon after, I was thrown off of Bill and into a wall.

"What do you think you're doing?" Caroline asked.

"Natural instinct, Barbie," I smirked, getting back to my feet. "Try it sometime." In reaction, Caroline rushed over and, once again, I was airborne. This time, I crashed through a very solid, very thick window. I felt a shard of wood pierce through my side as I landed.

"Oh my—Damon!" I could hear Miranda exclaim, and immediately, she was at my side looking concerned. "You ok?"

"Little bruised," I groaned and tried to stand. "Ah…side, side, side!" It took her a second, but soon, she had pulled she shard out and I was healing. "Ah. Thanks."

Miranda helped me to my feet, but I pushed her away and went back inside.

"Did you seriously just do that, Barbie?" I asked.

"Oh please," Caroline scoffed. "Just get out of here."

"Or what?" I sneered. There was a blur, and before I knew it, I was backed against a wall, with Miranda in front of me, holding the wrist of a very pissed-off Caroline. I then noticed the stake-like piece of wood in her hand.

"Let me go Miranda," Caroline growled.

"I can't let you do that," Miranda said calmly. "I can't let you kill him."

"He hurt my dad."

"I know," Miranda nodded. Caroline glared at me, then turned her eyes to Miranda.

"_You_ hurt my dad too." She headbutted Miranda, who stumbled back into me, and lifted the stake up again, but I rushed around and grabbed her arm, earning a very strong punch, and then I threw her backwards and onto the mayor's desk.

"You need to respect your elders, little girl," I snarled, leaning over her.

"Please," Caroline scoffed. "You're as immature as a toddler. No offense to toddlers."

"I made you, Caroline. My blood gave you eternal life," I told her. "I can take it away just as easily."

"Try," she challenged. I smirked, but stopped when Elena's voice rang through the air.

"What's going in on in here?" I looked up, caught off guard, then Caroline threw me off of her and I crashed into the wall again. I looked up and found that she had taken her father and disappeared.

"What happened?" Elena demanded.

"Don't worry," Miranda sighed. "Things…got out of hand."

"This doesn't look like they just got out of hand," Elena scoffed. "I expect better from you. Both of you."

"Better?" I scoffed. Apparently, everyone who lives in Mystic Falls has the trait of disrespecting their elders.

"You can't do this anymore," Elena continued. "Not in this town. Not around me."

"Caroline attacked us, too." I pointed out. "Tried to kill me, then tried to kill Miranda. Why aren't you jumping down her throat?"

"She doesn't know any better," Elena shook her head. "She was trying to protect her father."

"We're vampires Elena," Miranda shrugged. "Death and destruction are as normal to us as going to school is for you."

"Stefan would have never—"

"Stefan is not around anymore, Elena," I snapped at her. "And I'm sure, whatever he's doing with Klaus is worse than this. By tenfold. Give him your little humanity lesson next time you see him." I grabbed Miranda's hand and pulled her out of the room with me, not really caring that I could hear Elena crying as we left.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

The rest of the night had been uneventful. Rick had woken up around the time we got to the boarding house, and although I had been changing into my pajamas, I could hear him put up a fuss about Damon killing him. When I tried to ask Damon what had happened, he just shrugged and said "the usual" before going to take a shower. I finally settled into bed to watch some late night talk show when I had gotten hungry, and I had gone down to the cellar to get a blood bag.

Then sitting in bed, staring at the blood bag with the television on silent and the sounds of the shower running, made me realize that I didn't want it. I had fed from a human and it was divine. Now, I might not have had a ripper problem like Stefan, but up until returning to Mystic Falls, I had always had a fresh blood diet, and it seemed that my system was starting to crave for it again. An anonymous donation and a microwave wasn't up to par with getting it fresh.

The next morning, I got a call from one of the women on the Historical Society asking if I was going to be at the meeting…that afternoon. With nothing else to do, of course I said yes. God, I missed Jenna; at least we could complain about all the busybodies and their rules. Now I was the only sane one left.

I sighed, pulled my car into an empty parking spot in the square, and then started for the Founder's Hall. The stupid meeting was in five minutes unless I wanted to miss the meeting. I would probably get kicked out if I missed another one…or was that a good thing?

I was so caught up in my thoughts, I didn't notice arms wrap around my waist until it was too late, and I was thrown into a cargo truck trailer. The door slammed shut behind me and it took me a minute before my eyes adjusted to the new light.

Laying on the floor of the trailer was an unconscious…

"Stefan?" I exclaimed in shock.

"Surprised?" A voice I definitely didn't want to hear asked. "Hello sweetheart," a smirking Klaus greeted me from his place perched on top of a coffin.

What the hell?

**A/N: Ok, so I went AWOL for this story for a little while, and I'm going to make the excuse and we're done with it. TVD has gotten really difficult for me to watch and think about where Miranda might fit in because of all the Delena going on. I don't want to be a hater…but Damon needs someone who doesn't yoyo him around the way Elena does. And I know that Miranda's a bitchy, unpredictable tease with a lot of baggage, but at least she knows what she wants and loves Damon…probably more than anything else. Especially wine, which is saying a lot.**

**But yeah, here is your long-awaited update. About the Miranda/Damon blood-sharing thing; I know it was on the show (season 4, it's not really a spoiler because I'm not going into any detail) but I've mentioned it in this story a few times before, and I had planned to bring it up in this chapter anyways, so please don't think "oh, she's just doing it because it was on the show." I'm not.**

**That's it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though I made you wait a million years for it. Reviews are always appreciated and they will get you a sneak peek of the next chapter. So review; questions, comments, concerns. Anything! Even just to say hello! **

**Until next time! (Which I promise will be a little sooner than this time.)**


	62. What Happened on Senior Prank Night

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at the hybrid original. "Back to ruin more lives, I see," I sneered at him.

"And I see that you've not lost you're manners," Klaus smirked. "How goes life?"

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Taking a little vacation," he shrugged. "Travelling was a bit boring; thought I'd make it back to good old Mystic Falls for a quick break before we get back on the road." He gave me a shit-eating grin and I scoffed.

"Yeah right. If that's the real answer, I'm just going to go now," I told him. "I'd love to chat, but I have stuff to do." I turned around, only to find Klaus standing before me again.

"I guess you figured me out," he smirked. He looked into my eyes. "Sit," he compelled, motioning towards the coffins in the back of the cargo trailer. I knew I should've stayed on the vervain.

Robotically, I turned around and walked towards the coffins, sitting on the ground beside one of them. I frowned and wondered _why_ Klaus was hauling a bunch of coffins around when I caught a _very_ familiar scent. Elijah. I was leaning against a coffin that had Elijah inside of it.

"Now," Klaus said. "We're going to have a nice, long chat."

"No torture this time?" I asked as Klaus paced before me.

"No, I thought I would be a little more civil," he shrugged. "I owe you that much. Stefan here on the other hand, will not get away as easily. Broke his neck…three times after we left Chicago, and once since we arrived here."

"And, pray tell, what did he do to deserve such treatment?" I asked, keeping my concern for Stefan restrained.

"He's been keeping secrets from me," Klaus replied. "I need to know what they are."

"Why not just ask him?" I asked.

"How do I know that he won't lie?"

"You could…compel him." I offered.

"Aw, but that wouldn't be as much fun as this, sweetheart," Klaus laughed. "Besides, I wouldn't get to have this quality time with you."

"Joy," I deadpanned. He walked over to Stefan and kicked his leg lightly. "Wake up Stefan. Nap time's over."

Stefan jolted upright with a gasp and looked around, blinking rapidly.

"Miranda?" he asked when he saw me. I lifted my hand and waved at him. He looked over at Klaus and growled. "Why are you bringing her into this?"

"I need to get some straight answers, and I know I won't get them from you," Klaus shrugged. "So I got the best reliable source, and she's going to tell me everything I want to know."

"In your dreams," I told him casually.

"You know, sometimes I wish you were still on my side," Klaus smiled. "That spitfire attitude you have, along with the sense of loyalty and honor Elijah instilled in you, would be a great asset."

"Along with the convenient habit of losing my self-control and slaughtering people in a rage, you mean," I replied.

"Mustn't forget about that, no."

"Enough," Stefan snapped. "I've done everything you've asked me to do; I'm not hiding anything from you, Klaus. Let Miranda go."

"That's going to have to be a no," Klaus shook his head. There was a loud knock on the door to the trailer; it opened and a blonde teenager, possibly around Elena's age, climbed inside.

"I had a look around," she said to Klaus with an accented voice. "Nothing looked suspicious. Although, there were some very delicious looking boys at the…Grill? I wouldn't mind stopping there for a quick bite later. Have you gotten anything from Stefan yet?" Her eyes darted to Stefan in a glare, then back to Klaus.

"No, but I have a plan," he replied, then looked at me. "Bekah, you remember Miranda."

"Ah, finally someone to talk to who I actually like," the blonde smiled widely and rushed over so she was sitting next to me. "Not to mention trust. This one," she gestured to Stefan. "Betrays me by pretending he still loves me. And that one," she gestured to Klaus. "Stabs me in the back, quite literally, whenever I disappoint him. Well, you know all about that, or so I've heard. I was _indisposed_ when the whole disaster happened and you left." She glared again, this time at Klaus.

"Uh…" I stared at her with wide eyes and shook my head.

"She doesn't remember you, Rebekah," Klaus sighed.

"You ruin all my fun," the girl, Rebekah, scoffed. "Put her back to normal."

"She's not here to be your best friend," Klaus snapped. "She's here to help us get answers."

"Fine," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "After we get my necklace back then?"

"Alright," Klaus sighed, muttering something that sounded like "brat." He turned his attention back to Stefan and me. "Let's get down to business then, shall we?" he asked.

* * *

"You know we're going to be at this for hours if I don't get a straight answer Miranda," Klaus growled as he jumped out of the truck, shutting the door behind him. We _had_ been at this for hours; him breaking Stefan's bones, waiting for me to break with sympathy, compelling me to tell him the truth. I did tell him the truth, kind of, in round about ways every time so that he wouldn't get any information out of me. It really was quite tedious. Especially when Klaus would get fed up with it all, then break Stefan's neck and leave to find blood while we waited for him to heal.

Rebekah was obviously having fun, though. She laughed every time Klaus got angry or Stefan screamed in pain. I did feel bad about that, but I knew that Stefan wouldn't want me to tell the truth about why he had been calling Mystic Falls recently and put Elena in danger just so _he _would stop hurting.

I felt a buzz in my pocket and pulled out my phone. One new text from Damon.

"What's that?" Rebekah asked from beside me, leaning over to take a look.

"It's…my phone," I told her.

"That little thing?" she asked skeptically.

"Yeah," I nodded. "How long have you been out of the loop?"

"Nik has kept me daggered since the 1920's. A lot has changed since then, I guess; I'm still not used to wearing such skimpy clothes," she said in embarrassment, motioning to her legs which were exposed by the short shorts she wore. "_You_ have cute clothes. But then again, you've always had a good sense of style.

"Remember that time we broke Nik's rules and went to Vienna. We looked horrible in our dresses—the style was all wrong—so we killed those girls who were mocking us and took their dresses. I was about to put on the yellow one, but you told me it would make me look like I had jaundice. I might still have that green dress somewhere." Rebekah smiled and looked at me expectantly.

I frowned and shook my head. She talked as if she knew me, but I didn't know who she was. Every other thing coming from her mouth just confused me more and more.

"I'm sorry, no," I told her. "I've never been to Vienna."

"Well of course you have," she laughed.

"No, I haven't. I've never _met_ you before, either."

"He took all the best memories away, didn't he?" Rebekah looked sad for a second. "Well, I'm Rebekah. I'm Niklaus' sister." I didn't know what shocked me more; the fact that she was Klaus' sister, or that she knew about the holes in my memory.

"Miranda," I replied, dumbfounded.

"Well_ I_ know that, silly girl." Rebekah laughed. "No matter, you'll remember soon enough, then we'll be back to being friends and causing trouble in no time. Once I get my necklace back that is." My phone buzzed in my hand and Rebekah took it from me. "Who is this Damon who keeps _texting_ you?"

"He's my boyfriend," I said, tapping the screen to bring up his picture. "Stefan's older brother."

"Resemblance is there." Rebekah shrugged, making a face at the picture. "Did Elijah know about him? Before he was daggered, I mean."

"Doesn't really approve of him," I told her.

"I can see why," she lifted up the phone to my face and squinted. "He's handsome, sure. But if he shares any personality traits with Stefan—" she sneered. "Well… just no. _No_. He's completely wrong for you."

"You don't even know him," I laughed.

"I'm a good judge of character," Rebekah said matter-of-factly. "Besides, once you remember—" The phone buzzed once again and she dropped it in surprise.

I blanched when I saw the name on the screen and my stomach dropped.

"Who's Elena?" Rebekah asked. Just then, the door to the cargo trailer opened and Klaus jumped inside.

"Did you just say _Elena_?" he growled, rage evident on his face.

Oh damn.

* * *

**Elena's POV**

I hung up my phone after trying to reach Miranda. Caroline had guilted me into Senior Prank Night with her, Tyler and Bonnie. Almost all the new seniors were already at the high school, covering toilet seats with plastic wrap, filling closets with packing peanuts, and putting peanut butter on the office telephone receivers. The four of us _had_ been setting up mousetraps in a classroom when Matt decided to ruin it; not that it was his fault, but we had been at it for hours.

"Did you reach Miranda?" Caroline asked, pulling bottles of honey out of her bag. "She's the only one with a car big enough to pick up all the toilet paper I have stashed at my house."

"No," I sighed. "She must be busy; she always answers her phone."

"Don't worry, we can raid the janitor's closet if we run out," Tyler said. "Now, I have about 10 more classrooms to hit, _and_ they need help in the gym."

"Have fun," I laughed as he picked a duffle bag off the ground. I grabbed a tube of superglue off the teacher's desk and started to leave when Bonnie stopped me.

"Hey, where are you going?" she asked.

"Alaric's desk seems a little lacking in the glue department," I told her. "I'm going to go fix that." She and Caroline smiled. "Hey, I'm making memories."

"I love you!" Caroline called after me as I left.

I walked down the dark, empty hallways, the sounds of students laughing and music pulsed from all around me. Everyone was having fun, and even though live without Stefan was hard, I was trying. It was the best I could do.

I turned the corner to the hall where Rick's classroom was located and gasped when I found Klaus standing before me with a stern expression on his face.

"There's my girl," he said.

"Klaus," I muttered in fear. I turned on my heel to run, but he was quick, rushing in front of me before I could even take a step.

"You are suppose to be dead," he accused. "What are we going to do about that?" I started backing away from him, determined to keep him in my field of vision, as if that would keep him from moving. My head was reeling; swimming with thoughts. Why was he in Mystic Falls? Why was he here? How was he here? How had he found me?

I blinked and felt a hand encircle my upper arm tightly; Klaus had disappeared, but I knew that the hand belonged to him.

"Running will get you nowhere, sweetheart," he sneered.

"Let go," I grunted, trying to pull out of his grip.

"Sorry. I can't do that," he said, pulling me along. "You see, you put a rather large wrench in my plans. The whole point of breaking the curse and becoming a hybrid was to make more hybrids. I haven't been able to do that." As we turned a corner, he jerked me in that direction and I cried out in pain; his grip tightened with every step we took and it was starting to hurt really, really badly.

"Now," he continued. "My bet is it has something to do with the fact the _you_ are still breathing."

"If you're going to kill me, just do it," I told him.

"Not until I know that I'm right," he said, pulling me down another hall and towards the gym. "But I do have ways of making you suffer." He grinned terribly and backed into the gym door, throwing me inside before him. I had seen that look before, when he had been inside of Rick's body; it was the look that meant he was going to kill people.

* * *

**Stefan's POV**

I woke up slowly, groaning at the painful crick in my neck; I reached a hand up and rubbed the back of my neck slowly, massaging the muscles to make the pain go away. It didn't. I opened my eyes and jumped in shock. Lying before me, on the floor of the cargo trailer, was Miranda; her eyes were wide open, staring at me lifelessly, and her head was bent at an unnatural angle compared to the rest of her body. I reached out a hand to see if she really was dead, but jumped again as a calm voice startled me.

"I wouldn't do that," Rebekah said. "Nik did a real number on her. It'll take her longer to heal if you try to help."

"What happened?" I asked, looking up at her. The details of the entire day were a painful blur.

"You took a beating," she shrugged. "My brother's been torturing you all day; he's been breaking your neck and such. Miranda refused to give up your little secret, though. Fiercely loyal, she is; she gets that from Elijah. It pissed Nik off too no end."

"So why is she—"

"Dead? Your precious doppelganger texted her," Rebekah sneered. A cold feeling washed over me and I paled. Elena had texted Miranda? That meant Klaus knew Elena was alive. "Nik was going to rough you up a little more, but seeing as you were already dead, he did the next best thing and took it out on Miranda." For a second, I thought she looked annoyed. My focus, though, returned to the fact that Elena was in danger.

"Where is Klaus now?" I asked, getting to my feet.

"With any luck," Rebekah began with a smirk. "He's ripping that bloody cow's head off as we speak." I looked down at Miranda's body for a second, then turned around and rushed towards Rebekah, tackling her to the ground with as much force as I could.

"Where is she?" I growled as we landed. I could feel some of Rebekah's bones crack as landed on top of her, pinning her to the ground.

"You really do love her, don't you?" she asked with a strained voice. Despite being injured, she pushed me off of her, got to her feet and pinned me to the truck. She grabbed a crowbar from the trailer and hit me across the face with it, then hooked my neck to pull my face closer to hers. "Consider me jealous."

Within seconds, I could feel the crowbar ripping through my torso and I cried out in pain. Rebekah smirked and dropped me to the ground.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"Miranda. Miranda wake up." The voice was hazy and distorted as it broke through the darkness. Why did my neck feel so…broken? I tried turning it and winced as bones snapped back into place; my neck _had_ been broken. How did that happen? Wait…I remembered. Klaus happened. "Come on Miranda! You have to wake up."

I opened my eyes to find Stefan leaning over me with a worried expression on his face.

"Stefan?" I asked. I looked around and frowned. "What are…where are we?"

"We're in Klaus' truck, just outside the high school," he said. He held his hand out to me and I took it, using him to get to my feet. Everything still felt wobbly, and my neck was sore, but I'd be ok. "We need to go; Elena's in danger." He jumped out of the cargo trailer and turned back to me.

"Alright," I nodded and took a step to follow him, but a strange sensation washed over me and I turned around, eyeing the four coffins sitting perfectly on the floor. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Two scents stood out above all the others surrounding me; Elijah's…and another one that I couldn't identify. I opened my eyes and frowned, then turned and jumped out of the truck.

"Let's go," I told Stefan, starting towards the school.

"What was that?" he asked, following me.

"What was what?" I asked in return.

"You hesitated."

"I was just…thinking," I lied.

"About?"

"Do you know where Damon is?" I asked, changing the subject. "I left him a message this morning to tell him I was going to a Historical Society meeting before Klaus nabbed me. I figured he would be the first one here when he figured something was up."

"Why don't you call him?"

"Klaus broke my phone when he saw the text from Elena," I sighed. _Another_ phone I would have to replace.

"I guess we're on our own then," Stefan replied. "How do you think we'll do?"

"If we fight? Oh, we're going to get our asses handed to us," I told him. "For sure." Stefan sighed and shook his head.

"Just when I was beginning to miss this town," he said.

"Welcome back to the drama," I smiled and grabbed the door, holding it open for him. "After you."

* * *

It wasn't that hard to find where Klaus and Elena were and soon enough, Stefan and I were walking into the gym. The first thing I noticed was Klaus; he was sitting in the bleachers with his elbows resting on his knees, fingers tented in front of his face as he stared ahead with a pensive gaze. I followed his gaze and felt relieved when I spotted a very much alive Elena sitting on the gym floor with two of her classmates.

"There you are," Klaus said, sitting straighter. "I was wondering when you two would join us."

"Stefan," Elena breathed out when she spotted him. She stood up and frowned. Klaus rushed before me and casually brushed my hair away from my neck, then tilted my chin up.

"It looks good; healed quite nicely," he said, then looked into my eyes apologetically. "Sorry I had to do that to you, but I had to vent." I smiled bitter sweetly and stomped on his foot; to my surprise, he didn't even flinch.

"Paid a fair amount of money for these boots, love," he smirked. "The worst you'll do is scuff them."

"Jackass," I muttered.

"You're just upset that I know your habits," he replied, then turned his attention to Stefan. "Come to save your damsel?"

"I…" Stefan's gaze darted to me for a split second, then back to Klaus. "I came to ask for your forgiveness. To pledge my loyalty."

"Well you broke that pledge once already," Klaus rumbled. "I'm afraid your word means nothing to me. So carry on; you aren't needed any longer." Klaus waved a hand towards the door, then turned on his heel to walk back to the bleachers. Stefan looked at me and I shrugged and gestured towards Klaus; we needed to buy some time, and the only way we could do that was if we lied. If we played the game.

"Elena…means nothing to me anymore," Stefan tried. I smirked when Klaus stilled. "Whatever you ask of me…I will do."

"Hmm." Klaus looked over his shoulder at Stefan. "Fair enough. Let's drink on it. Kill them." He gestured towards the two teens that were sitting on the floor by Elena. I could hear Stefan's breath hitch and started to worry. Suddenly, the game wasn't a game anymore; it was a free-for-all. Klaus didn't trust Stefan's word, and he obviously wasn't going to trust mine, which meant whatever Stefan said to get Klaus' attention off of Elena would need to be backed by actions. And those actions meant killing two innocent people.

"What are you waiting for?" Klaus asked. "Kill them."

"No!" Elena exclaimed. "Stefan, don't. He's not going to hurt me. He already said—" Her words were cut short when Klaus rushed over to her and backhanded her so hard that she was airborne for a second or two. I quickly rushed to her side.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"Fine," she muttered, pushing herself from the floor with a hand to her cheek. "I'll be fine. Where've you been? I tried to call you earlier."

"Klaus got the jump on me," I told her sheepishly. "I'm a little out of practice fighting evil after this summer."

"Do you have a plan?" she asked, her voice full of hope.

"_Had_ a plan," I replied. "It's kind of going down the drain right now."

"I didn't want to do this, Stefan," Klaus' voice caught our attention and we turned to find him holding on to Stefan by the throat. "All I wanted was your allegiance. Now I'm going to take it."

"Don't…" Stefan stammered. "Don't…"

"Definitely down the drain," I muttered to myself.

"You will do exactly as I say, when I say it," Klaus compelled him. "You will not run. You will not hide. You will simply just obey."

"No!" Elena muttered as she saw Stefan's composure change. "No." Mental note to self: start drinking vervain again.

"Now kill them," Klaus said with a sadistic smirk. "Ripper." He gestured to the teens and I subconsciously moved protectively in front of Elena as Stefan rushed to the girl and bit into her, savagely draining her dry. Maybe I couldn't fight Klaus, but I could definitely fight Stefan and win if he was overcome by the bloodlust and went after Elena.

* * *

**Rebekah's POV**

I frowned, looking through the young vampire girl's telephone, as I waited for her and the werewolf—hybrid now, I guess—boy to wake up. This one was much more complicated the Miranda's phone. I would've loved to ask her more about it but as soon as my brother heard the doppelganger's name, he had taken it and smashed it to bits in a rage.

This century was funny; as much as I was fascinated by it, I also loathed it. How could things have changed this much in 90 years? It used to be that centuries would go by and things practically stayed the same, save for some interesting inventions. Mobile telephones, terrible scratchy music, clothes that were too tight and too…revealing. It all made my head spin. I had thought, back in Chicago, that I would've been able to experience everything new with Stefan, but now that his true colors were revealed, that was out of the question. At least Miranda was here; I could trust her to help me.

She had always been so shy and sad, trailing after Elijah and Nik like a lost puppy, after Elijah had turned her. She would stare at everyone else with an untrusting gaze; as soon as Nik got her out of her shell a bit, we had become fast and true friends, which was saying something because I did not make friends well. I always ended up killing them when they upset me.

It hurt to know that my brother had made her forget everything she knew about our family, about all the fun we had together; I understood why he did it, to make sure Mikael wouldn't catch wind of our location, but it hurt all the same. Especially now when I needed a friend, after enduring so much betrayal and hurt.

The vampire girl, Caroline, groaned as I touched an icon and my face appeared on the screen, moving as I moved. Was this a camera? I held the phone out and smiled, then pressed a button and the phone made a clicking noise; my image appeared on the screen. Beautiful. As always.

"Where's Tyler?" Caroline asked.

"He's dead." I told her. "Ish." She looked over at the boy and gasped.

"What did you do to him?" she exclaimed in horror.

"Think of it as he's having a nap," I replied, bored with her. "When he wakes up, he'll be a hybrid." I frowned as I tried to get back to the main screen of the phone, but ended up stuck looking through Caroline's pictures.

Humans. Humans. Miranda and Caroline. Miranda and…Damon, was it? Ugh. No. Next. Humans. Humans. Stefan and _Elena_.

"Ugh," I forced myself not to gag. "Vomit." I was about to go to the next picture when I noticed something silver on the doppelganger's neck.

"Is that my…" I muttered and squinted. It was. That was my necklace! I got to my feet and rushed over to Caroline. "Why is that doppelganger bitch wearing my necklace?" I yelled at her.

"Your necklace?" she asked. I handed her the phone and she frowned. "That's Elena's necklace."

"It's _my_ necklace!" I took the phone from her and rushed through the dark halls. I ripped open the doors to the gymnasium and quickly walked towards Elena. Miranda was standing beside her, with a comforting arm around her shoulder, and Stefan was standing a few feet away, beside two bodies, with blood dripping from his mouth.

"Where is it?" I growled at Elena. "Where's my necklace?"

"What are you talking about?" Nik asked in annoyance.

"She has my necklace," I told him, glaring at the doppelganger, who backed a few steps away in fear. "Look." I handed him the phone and crossed my arms over my chest impatiently.

"Well, well," Nik sighed and looked at the screen. "More lies."

"Well," I began. "Where is it?"

"I don't have it anymore," Elena muttered.

"You're lying!" I screamed and rushed at her, sinking my fangs savagely into her neck. I was about a second away from tearing into her carotid artery when I was thrown away from her. I stumbled to gain my footing and frowned when I saw Miranda standing protectively in front of Elena, who was holding a hand to her neck.

"How could you…" I stuttered. "How could you defend her?"

"She's my friend," Miranda said calmly. "I'm not going to let you hurt her."

"_I'm_ your friend," I snapped. "And I was your friend long before she was."

"I don't even know you," she snapped back at me. I felt a crack in my composure and sadness overtook me; it wasn't her fault, I knew that. It was Nik's fault, and Elijah's fault for letting Nik make her forget. It still hurt though.

"Knock it off!" my brother roared at us.

"Make her tell me where it is then!" I roared back at him. He held a hand up to me and took a breath, then turned back to Elena.

"Where's the necklace, sweetheart?" he asked. "Be honest."

"I'm telling the truth," she muttered. "Katherine stole it."

"Katerina. Of course," he replied. Although I had been daggered at the time when Nik had found the doppelganger at the end of the 15th century thanks to an unfortunate _accident_ involving a Barese duchess who claimed to be prettier than I was (it was worth every minute of those 75 years I had been stuck in a stone tomb), I had heard all about the menace that was Katerina Petrova and the trouble she had caused for my brother.

"Well," Nik sighed. "That's unfortunate. If we had the necklace, it would make things a whole lot easier for your witch. But since we're doing this the hard way, let's put a clock on it, shall we?" He smirked and walked over to a table on the side of the room. There was a loud noise and bright red numbers appeared on a display overhead.

"20 minutes. If Bonnie hasn't found a solution by then, I want you to feed again Stefan. Only this time, I want you to feed on Elena."

"What?" Miranda exclaimed. "Now that's going a little bit too far."

"No such thing as too far," Nik smirked at her then returned his attention to Stefan. "If she tries to run, fracture her spine." He grabbed Miranda's arm and pulled her along with him, out of the gymnasium. I looked at Stefan and Elena and smirked wickedly.

"Have fun."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I was worried. Klaus had compelled Stefan to feed from Elena; _ripper_ Stefan was going to feed from Elena if Bonnie hadn't found a way to make Klaus' hybrids live. He wouldn't stop; I knew he wouldn't. He couldn't. And he wouldn't be able to resist the compulsion either. Although Klaus had been compelling me to tell him things earlier, he was very vague and I had been able to scoot around what he wanted to know; this order was direct. Elena would either die from Stefan's lack of self-control or she would die trying to run.

"How could you be so cruel?" I asked Klaus as he pulled me down the hallway. He had told a fuming Rebekah to go and stay with Caroline and Tyler, who was transitioning at that very second, so we were alone.

"It's in my nature," he shrugged. "The ultimate predator."

"So you're a big-shot," I rolled my eyes. "Who cares? You could still show a little compassion."

"I don't know whether to lecture you about how emotions are destructive, or kill you. You seem to have a death wish with all this back-talk you've been giving lately. The habits of that annoying boyfriend of yours must be rubbing off on you."

"What's with all these digs at Damon? First Elijah, then you, and now Rebekah. I don't understand it," I said. "He's…amazing."

"You aren't compatible," Klaus said simply. "You're a force to be reckoned with, when you want to be at least, and he's a pain in the ass."

"I love him and he loves me."

"Love is fleeting, Miranda. An illusion. You'd do well to remember that," he said bitterly. Before I could reply, Klaus stopped in his tracks and smirked. I could hear Matt's voice down the hall; he was talking to Bonnie.

"…that put the hybrid curse on Klaus. She said that Elena shouldn't have survived Klaus' ritual. The hybrids can't transition because Elena's still alive."

"Well isn't that a juicy bit of information," Klaus beamed and pulled me forward again.

"Tyler's going to die, isn't he?" Matt asked.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Klaus said, interrupting their conversation. I was confused when I saw that both Bonnie and Matt were dripping wet; what had happened to them? "Given the choice, doppelganger or hybrid, I go hybrid every time."

"So that means?" I looked at him with wide eyes.

"Oh, yes," he smirked and let me go, sauntering back in the direction we came.

"You can't," I begged, running after him. "You can't let Elena just die."

"So you want Tyler to die?" he asked.

"No."

"One of them has to," he shrugged. "And Elena was technically supposed to be dead. It's destiny, sweetheart." He disappeared in a blur and I sighed. I looked over at Bonnie and Matt, who had defeated expressions on their faces.

"Are you two alright?" I asked.

"He's going to kill Elena," Bonnie muttered.

"'Fraid so."

"You've gotta stop him," Matt replied.

"He'll kill me," I told them. "He compelled Stefan to feed from Elena. Even if I'm able to stop Stefan, there's no way I'm going to stop Klaus."

"You have to try," Bonnie begged. "Please. Elena's our friend; she's your friend. She'd do the same for you." I sighed and cracked my still-stiff neck, contemplating her words. Could I get there in time? I was fast, but was I fast enough? Man, being the good-guy was so exhausting; now I know why Damon complains all the time.

"Fine," I sighed and rushed down the halls of the school as quickly as I could. I tried the gym first, but found it empty. An ear-splitting scream ripped through the air and I winced, then realized that it came from Elena. I followed the sound to the cafeteria, where Stefan was feeding from Elena and Klaus was standing idly to the side, watching with glee. I pulled Stefan off of Elena, who fell to the floor, and snapped his neck before her could put up a fight.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Klaus asked as I kneeled beside Elena and put pressure against the bite.

"Helping a friend."

"I wasn't going to let him kill her," Klaus shrugged. "Don't worry."

"But I thought," I began, but Klaus pulled me to my feet and turned me to look at him.

"You're going to go home now," he compelled. "Don't worry about Elena; she'll be fine. She's in capable hands." He let me go, and I had no choice but to walk out of the high school and go home. Another mental note to self: Vervain. Lots and lots of vervain.

* * *

"How's Elena?" I asked Damon over the phone later that night. Now that my cell phone was practically dust, I was forced to use my home phone.

I had called as soon as I had gotten home and told Damon about what had happened; he had gone to the school, found it empty, then the hospital to take Elena home. Apparently, Klaus had brought Elena to the hospital to harvest her blood; according to Caroline, who happily called me afterwards, her blood was the key to the hybrid curse. Once Tyler had drunk Elena's blood, his transition was successful.

"Resting. She'll be better soon," he sighed. "I think that she's hurt emotionally more than she is physically. Stefan did get a good chunk out of her though."

"What about Stefan?"

"From what I can tell," Damon began. "He's a robot. No emotions, no reactions, nothing. He's a little snarky…but I think that's just because Klaus turned him into his bitch."

"Another problem to add to our list."

"We'll deal with it tomorrow.

"So Klaus is really gone," I sighed, leaning back against the pillows of my bed.

"Disappeared," Damon sighed.

"What did you do?" I asked. "I thought he would've killed you before just running. I mean, you're not really that threatening."

"Hey!"

"You know what I mean."

"I don't know," Damon replied. "I said something and he just…ran."

"What did you say?" I asked.

"It's not important," he replied. "I'll tell you tomorrow." We were silent for a few minutes when I had a thought.

"Where were you today Damon?"

"Oh," he sounded like he was avoiding something. "Can we add that to the tomorrow list too?"

"Damon," I said in a warning tone.

"I was with Katherine."

"Excuse me," I shot up in bed. "What did you just say?"

"Don't get upset," he quickly said. "Don't you trust me?"

"Yes, I trust you," I replied. "I don't trust her."

"Nothing happened. She just needed help getting some…information. The whole trip was a bust."

"Did you just say 'trip?'" I asked, eyebrows raised.

"You know what, forget that I said anything," he laughed nervously. "Klaus is gone, Elena is safe, and Katherine is stuck in the middle of nowhere without a car."

"You're right," I said, calming down some. "I'm overreacting. I'm going to go now; it's been a long day."

"Do you want me to come over?" Damon asked.

"No," I sighed. "I just need some sleep."

"Wake up call, then?" I could hear the smirk in his voice and I just shook my head.

"Yeah. Whatever," I sighed.

"I love you," he said sweetly.

"I love you too."

"Goodnight," we said simultaneously, and I hung up the phone. I sighed and was about to close my TV so I could go to bed when I heard the doorbell ring. I was about to play it off as someone playing a prank, but the ringing was persistent.

I got out of bed and drowsily went downstairs to see who could be at the door at this time of night. It could've been Damon, but he would've just waltzed right in. I opened the door and froze in semi-shock.

"He left me here," Rebekah said stonily, although I could see fresh tear tracks on her cheeks. "He really just…left me here."

"I'm sorry," I said softly.

"I don't have anywhere else to go and I don't feel like compelling someone for a place to stay," she continued. "I know that I haven't really made a good second first-impression, but you're the only person I know I can trust. Can I—"

"Of course," I cut her off with a smile and opened the door more to let her in. "Of course you can stay here." She took a cautious step into the house and looked at me, her mouth opening and closing like that of a fish. Before I could get a word in, she attacked me with a hug.

"Thank you."

**A/N: There you have it. Another chapter. Tad later than I wanted it to be, but still reasonable. Especially considering how long it is! **

**I enjoyed writing Rebekah; she is one of my favorite characters on TVD. (I love all the evil characters in, like, every show I watch; they're not as evil as they're initially thought to be.) They don't portray her emotions enough—she's always a cold bitch—so I wanted to give her that depth, especially since she and Miranda knew each other and were friends. Are friends? I guess they still are; Miranda just doesn't remember her.**

**Also, sorry for the lack of Damon. I didn't know how to fit the Katherine/Damon/Jeremy thing from the episode in so it just kind of got...lost. Until the end, where Damon appears on the phone. Lame excuse. He'll be in the next chapter. I promise.**

**That's it. I have more to say, but it's late and I'm tired. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry for any mistakes; I have a new keyboard and I'm also very tired, as I mentioned. Reviews are always appreciated and they will get you a sneak peek of the next chapter. So review; questions, comments, concerns. Anything! **

**Until next time! **


	63. They Were the Best of Times

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

I woke up, painfully, to the obnoxious sound of a car horn. I winced every time it sounded and lifted a hand to my throbbing forehead. Why did I have a headache? I opened my eyes and groaned, quickly shutting them as the light from my television hit them. Not a headache; a hangover. What the hell?

I cautiously opened my eyes again and spotted about a dozen empty bottles of wine, twice as many empty blood bags and a bunch of DVD boxes scattered on and around my coffee table. Alright, that explains everything.

After I had agreed to let Rebekah stay with me, she had looked a little down, and no matter how much my body begged me to show her to the guest room and go to bed, I kind of felt obligated to lift her spirits a little. So what started out as a small pseudo-therapy session, turned into an elaborate wine/blood/movie binge/campout in my living room.

"What is that god-awful noise?" I heard Rebekah groan and I looked over to find her curled up on the other sofa with a hand over her eyes.

"Car horn," I replied hoarsely.

"Turn it off."

"Can't."

"Can we just kill whoever is doing it then?"

"Nope," I sighed and hauled my legs off the couch and to the floor. I grabbed the television remote and switched it off, hoping that the room would finally be dark, but then Mr. Sun had to stick it to me and shine through the window, even though the blinds were closed. I stood up and stretched. "Morning."

"Ugh," Rebekah scrunched her nose in disgust. "I usually love mornings but this…this is terrible."

"I know what you mean."

"Coffee?"

"I'm on it," I replied, rushing to the kitchen to start the machine. As soon as it started brewing, I sighed in content at the smell. Within a few minutes, Rebekah walked into the kitchen looking worse for wear, but happier nonetheless.

"So, what are our plans for today?" she asked excitedly. "I was thinking that we could go shopping this morning…and maybe you could show me around town? I figure that I'm stuck here until Nik comes back, so I might as well settle in a bit."

"Damon usually meets me after breakfast," I told her, earning a sneer. "But I could call him and ask him for a rain check."

"Wonderful! And oh! Do you know what I've always wanted to try? Well, not always…since yesterday, at least." She smiled brightly. "I want to go to high school!"

"What?" I stammered. "Why?"

"It looks fun. Did you see how many people there were at prank night? A whole bunch of them having fun—even Elena," she sneered once again, "and her little friends—but I want that! I want to have fun and have a bunch of friends! None of them will be better than you, of course; I've known you longest, and quite frankly, you aren't fickle like those humans. But still, it'll be wonderful."

"Is that really what you want?" I asked, grabbing two coffee cups from the cabinet.

"Yes! More than anything!"

I watched Rebekah looking so hopeful and excited, especially when she was so distraught last night. And despite the fact that I couldn't remember most of our binge night, or that I knew her before yesterday, it made me feel good to have a friend again who wasn't a Salvatore or a human teenager. Like Jenna had been…and Andie.

Besides, it wasn't like she was just going to listen if I said no.

"Then I guess we'll have to go and register you for school," I replied. I put the coffee cups down on the counter and I was immediately wrapped in another bone-crushing Rebekah-hug.

"Thank you Miranda," Rebekah said sincerely. "This means so much to me. Letting me stay here, helping me out, being my friend and someone I can trust. Thank you." I smiled and hugged her back.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"What!" I exclaimed, stopping in my tracks in the hallway. First I had to deal with emotionless ripper Stefan and now Miranda, who wasn't making any sense at all. "Where are you right now?"

"I'm…out shopping for school clothes," Miranda replied over the phone.

"Yeah, I heard you the first time," I snapped. "But there are two problems with that. One, it's not even 6:30; I didn't even think you were awake with your 'I need some sleep' spiel last night. And two, you don't go to school!"

"Well, it's not for me," she sighed.

"I'm not following you here."

"I had…an unexpected guest drop by last night—"

"What?" I cut in.

"—and I had to let her stay. She had nowhere else to go."

"Who?" I asked.

"Rebekah."

"R—" I paused and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Rebekah? Klaus' sister? _Barbie Klaus?_"

"Yeah."

"Why the hell would you do that?" I snapped. "She's evil. She tried to kill Elena."

"She's not evil," Miranda scoffed. "She's…misunderstood. As for the Elena thing…she has her reasons."

"Oh, she has her reasons," I repeated in disbelief. "Klaus wanted to kidnap Elena for her blood, but he had a reason for it, so that makes it ok?"

"Lower your voice, Damon," Miranda snapped. I took a breath to calm myself down.

"Sorry."

"Look, Klaus left her here," she continued. "She didn't have anywhere else to go. I'm the only person in town that she knows, that she trusts. She just wants a little bit of normal; I made her promise that she wouldn't cause trouble."

"Since when can you trust an Original to keep their word?" I asked.

There was nothing but silence for a few, drawn-out moments and I looked at my phone to see if the call was dropped; it was a reasonable explanation since Miranda got a new phone, but she was still on the line.

"…she said she's my friend, Damon," Miranda finally replied quietly.

"Oh, please…"

"She knew me when I was living and travelling with Elijah and Klaus; she was one of those things that Klaus made me forget."

"I can't believe you trust her. She feeds you some story and you trust her."

"Yes Damon, because she's telling the truth. She knows me; she knows things about me that no one would know about unless I told them."

"Miranda—"

"Ok, you don't trust her? Trust _me_. If anything bad comes from her staying in Mystic Falls, then I'll take the blame. But nothing is going to happen; she's not a bad person she's just…"

"Misunderstood. Yeah, I get it," I rolled my eyes.

"Hey, you were misunderstood once upon a time, Mr. Salvatore."

"Sure, I did a lot of crap when I came back to Mystic Falls. I thought I loved Katherine—I _did_ love Katherine—but you helped me open my eyes to all of that. "

"I'm talking about when you were human, Damon," she said lovingly. "You wanted your father to accept you for who you were, like he did with Stefan."

My heart squeezed at the memories of my father; sure, I loved him, but he was a heartless ass sometimes. No matter how many times I tried to be the good son, it seemed that he loved Stefan more. I didn't propose to Miranda in 1863 because he thought that, although we loved each other, I was being too hasty. Too immature. And to prove that I wasn't, I joined the army, just like he wanted me to.

If I had only stayed and married Miranda back then, none of this would be happening now.

"Damon, are you listening to me?" Miranda's voice broke my train of thought and I frowned. Had she been talking that entire time.

"Uh…yeah," I agreed.

"Liar," she laughed.

"Look, it doesn't really matter," I sighed. "I trust your judgment. Do whatever you want."

"Thank you!" she exclaimed.

"But you owe me."

"Fine. I owe you."

"And I think it's time to collect."

"Yeah, whatever," she laughed. "I'll see you later."

"Hmm," I smirked and replied in a drawn out, seductive tone. "You will see me later."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I had dropped Rebekah off at school a tad late because our shopping trip had taken a bit longer than expected. I had offered to bring her to the office to help her register for school—it would be hectic because it was the first day—but she told me she was sure she would be fine and that I could go and "spend time with that stupid boyfriend" of mine.

As I drove away from the high school, my back seat and trunk filled with tons of shopping bags, I wondered why she disliked Damon so much, especially considering that she never met him. Then again, as I had noticed yesterday when I was with Klaus, none of the Originals I knew particularly liked him.

_I _didn't see anything wrong with him. He was handsome, charming, and he loved me; then again, I loved him, more than anything else in the world, so I guess I was a little bias.

Truth be told, he was a little annoying sometimes and he had a habit of doing stupid things during stressful situations.

"Ugh," I pinched the bridge of my nose as I turned down a street towards the Lockwood Mansion. I had to meet with Carol to discuss what I had missed at the Historical Society meeting, and my headache was returning. "I should stopped for coffee."

"Look at that; I read your mind." I jumped at the sound of Damon's voice and I glared over to the passenger's seat to find him sitting leisurely in it with a smirk, drinking from a to-go cup of coffee from the Grill as he held another one out to me.

"What the hell Damon!" I exclaimed.

"I was not expecting that kind of greeting," he shrugged. "Something with less talking and more kissing. And, come to think of it, less clothing."

"I hate you," I scoffed. "You know that right?"

"I know I agreed to stop car jumping, but I figured that I could finally get a chance to have you all to myself now that school is back in session. No angsty teens or crazy supernatural creatures ruining our day. You owe me."

"As much as I'd love to, I can't," I sighed. "I have to meet with Carol Lockwood."

"Boring," he exclaimed and leaned forward to place the coffee cups on the floor. I quickly glanced at him as he pulled out his phone and fiddled with it. "'Carol. Miranda won't be able to meet with you today. Personal emergency. Thanks, Damon.' There; it's taken care of."

"Damon!"

"Coffee?" he asked, once again holding the to-go cup to me. I rolled my eyes and took the cup from him, sighing in pleasure as I tasted it. Three creams, three sugars, dash of hazelnut, dash of raspberry. Although I usually took it with just the cream and sugar, the added syrups made it blissfully delicious.

"How did you know?" I asked, wondering, once again, how anyone could hate my perfect boyfriend.

"Uh…actually the bartender suggested it," he replied sheepishly. Ok, a little less than perfect, but still. "I swear, if that guy keeps making goo-goo eyes at the mere mention of you, I'm going to have to kill him."

"No you won't."

"Ok, I won't…if you promise that you won't go to the Grill anymore."

"Damon!" I laughed.

"Can you blame me?" he asked, lifting a hand to push the hair away from my face. "I want you all to myself." He leaned across the center console as I pulled to a stop at a red light; as soon as his lips touched mine, he practically pulled me out of my seat and across the console to deepen it. I tried pushing him away, but he held onto me with resolve.

"Damon," I finally muttered, his lips returning to mine instantly.

"Yeah," he breathed out.

"What are you doing?"

"I thought it was obvious."

"Mhmm," I sighed and pushed at him. "Why?"

"I'd like to cash in that debt now."

"We're in my car," I laughed; I could feel his fingers creeping at the bottom of my shirt, tickling my skin as they dipped beneath the hem. "A block from the town square."

"So?" he asked. He was just about to kiss me again when his phone rang. "No!" he groaned. I took the opportunity to push him back into his seat and return my focus onto the road as he answered the call.

"What!" he barked. "Yes, I was a bit busy Rick!" I could faintly hear him chattering on the other end and Damon looked at me to roll his eyes.

"H-hold on a second," Damon suddenly sputtered with a frown. "What do you mean _Stefan_ is in class?" He looked over at me. "No…no…yeah, I knew about that. Now get back to class; you're setting a bad example." Damon put his phone away and ran a hand over his face.

"We might have a problem on our hands," he said gravelly.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

Later that afternoon, Miranda and I stopped by Alaric's apartment.

He had ducked out a few minutes after class had begun to call and inform me that, not only was Rebekah his new student, but an old student that he was sure had dropped out—Stefan—had appeared in his class, on time, with a textbook, a N.2 pencil and a devious grin. I was sure Stefan was still occupied with his Twister co-eds and his liquor when I left the boarding house to find Miranda, but my brother obviously cleaned up his act pretty quickly to cause some trouble.

Apparently, the first day of school continued to be a disaster because, as Miranda and I tried to kill time with some _quality time _at the boarding house, we kept getting interrupted by phone calls and texts from practically everyone about every little thing going wrong. _Stefan's a different person_ and _Rebekah's trying to take over my life_ and _Tyler's acting strange _and _Matt's seeing ghosts too _and_ Jeremy's still talking to Anna._

After the tenth call, I convinced Miranda to turn her phone off. It was getting a little strange for it to ring every time we…

Besides, weren't they supposed to have their phones off during school anyways?

"How is she?" I asked Rick as we found him outside his apartment, waiting for us.

"Determined," he replied. "She hasn't stopped lifting weights since she got out of school. I told her that she needed to get stronger to defend herself from vampires and she wants to get stronger…now."

"That doesn't sound too good," Miranda sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"Apparently Stefan said something to upset her, but she won't tell me," Rick said quietly. "Could you two go and—"

"Yeah," Miranda nodded and grabbed my hand, pushing past him and into the apartment. True to Rick's word, Elena was bench pressing; well, she was struggling at bench pressing. It looked like she had put _way _too much weight on the barbell.

"You should have a spotter," Miranda said, as if she read my mind.

"I'm fine," Elena strained to reply.

"You're upset," I scoffed. "You should be…I don't know, curled up on a couch with a pint of Ben and Jerry's."

"That's stereotypical."

"Doesn't make it any less true," I shrugged.

"You don't even know what's happening right now," Elena snapped. "Stefan called me a human blood bag. He doesn't care anymore!"

"Tell me something I don't know," I said, rolling my eyes. Miranda slapped my arm and then walked over to help Elena put the barbell back on the bench; I noticed a jealous look in Elena's eye as Miranda easily lifted the barbell when she had struggled.

"Why are you two here?" Elena sighed. "One obnoxious vampire is bad enough; I don't need you two rubbing it in my face that Stefan has changed."

"Rick's worried about you," Miranda said in a comforting tone.

"He shouldn't be. I'm fine."

"Do you're not," I told her. "You're trying to be all…warrior princess! Do you even have a plan?"

"I do!" Elena exclaimed. "I want to lock him up until Mikael comes and kills Klaus. The compulsion will be broken, and we'll have the old Stefan back."

"Compulsion or not, Stefan's in full out ripper mode," I informed her. "He's high on human blood."

"He's gotten out of it before."

"This time…it's a little different Elena," Miranda tried. "His humanity is gone; he can't want to give up human blood for you if the remorse isn't there…or the love."

"We have to try, though," Elena protested. "Stefan always surprises us; you underestimate him too much! We'll never know if my plan will work if we don't try it."

"Well, why don't we…" I began, but Miranda turned and looked over her shoulder towards me and I sighed, seeing agreement in her eyes. She was giving me that look, the one that destroyed my resolve.

"Fine," I gave in. "We'll do whatever we need to."

"I thought we could try tonight," Elena said excitedly. "At the bonfire; everyone's going to be there and I'm sure they want to help."

"Great," I said sarcastically. "Because there's no where better than being in the woods, surrounded by a bunch of wasted teenagers, to stage a vampire intervention."

**A/N: The hectic holidays are over, and now it's back to the daily grind. I had planned to update my stories much earlier than this, but with the holidays and school stuff, I never had a chance. Sorry!**

** Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter. In this, and the next chapter, I've made some deviations from the episode, so I hope it's still palatable. Reviews are always appreciated and they will get you a sneak peek of the next chapter (which I forgot all about this time, sorry. Holidays). So review; questions, comments, concerns. I'm all ears…well, eyes!**

**Until next time!**


	64. They Were the Worst of Times

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

"So I'll lure Stefan away from the bonfire," Elena said. "Then when he's distracted…"

"I'll shoot him," Alaric concluded. We had been sitting in his classroom for an hour, trying to formulate a plan to capture Stefan that would actually work. So far…we had nothing.

"Can't Bonnie just juju him or something?" Damon asked from his spot beside me.

"I don't want Bonnie to get hurt," Elena sighed. "If you haven't noticed, Stefan is a little off the rails. Caroline? Are you covered?"

"I made sure the old Forbes jail cell is prepped and ready," she nodded grimly, obviously uncomfortable talking about the very room she had been tortured in.

"What about Rebekah?" I asked, causing everyone to turn and look at me. "She's still a little…hung up on Stefan."

"Hung up?" Damon scoffed. "From what I've heard, it seems that everywhere he goes, a blonde ponytail is sure to follow."

"That isn't very nice," I chastised.

"You can keep her away from Stefan then," Elena shrugged. "I mean, she is your new friend." I could sense the awkward tone of betrayal in her voice and I looked at Damon, who was staring at the floor innocently. I punched him in the arm.

"Why do you always have to spill the beans about _everything_?" I grumbled.

"What?" Damon raised his hands in defeat. "She asked if I knew where Rebekah was staying in town."

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late," Tyler apologized as he joined us. "What's going on?"

"Can you raid your mom's vervain supply?" Elena asked him. "We're going to need enough to keep Stefan down for a while."

"What? You can't do that to Stefan," Tyler said defensively.

"Why not?" Caroline asked.

"It's in Stefan's best interest," Elena explained. "Trust me."

"Yeah," Tyler agreed. "But it's not in Klaus'."

"Klaus is the bad guy, Tyler," Caroline protested. "Why are you acting like some freaky, hybrid, slave minion."

"Uh-oh," Damon muttered, getting to his feet.

"What?" I asked.

"Do you see it?" he asked in return.

"Klaus made me who I am," Tyler told her. "I owe him everything."

"Oh," I realized, looking back at Damon.

"Yeah."

"What's going on?" Rick asked.

"Nothing good," I said.

"You know, can we cool it on the commentary, please?" Caroline snapped at us.

"What's going on?" Elena asked, clearly feeling very out of the loop.

"I'm going to go," Tyler said, watching us awkwardly, then turned on his heel to leave. Before he could get far, I rushed to the desk, grabbed a vervain dart and rushed to him, pushing the needle into his neck. Slowly, but surely, he collapsed into an unconscious heap on the floor.

"What did you do that for?" Caroline exclaimed, pushing past me to get to him.

"He's been sired," Damon explained.

"What does that mean?" Alaric asked.

"Sired," Damon continued. "He feels loyal to Klaus because Klaus' blood created him."

"Loyal how?" Elena asked.

"He'll do anything to make Klaus happy," I told her, skipping some of the particulars. "Anything to get acceptance. I don't know about hybrids…but it's really rare in vampires." In my own experience, I only knew…maybe two…but definitely one vampire who had a sire bond with their maker.

"How do we fix him?" Caroline asked.

"Uh…" I looked at Damon for help.

"Get a new boyfriend," he supplied, earning an eye roll from me.

* * *

"They don't like me," Rebekah muttered sadly as we sat on a bench, roasted marshmallows over one of the smaller bonfires that had been created, and drank beer from red plastic cups.

"They're completely wasted," I told her. "They don't care about making new friends now."

"The cheerleaders seemed to like me enough at practice this afternoon, though," she pouted.

"Drunk."

"But—"

"Drunk," I repeated. "This is really cheap beer; it doesn't take much for it to get you there. If you keep drinking it, you'll be dancing like a lunatic in no time, and then they'll like you."

"No I won't. This music is terrible."

"It's…an acquired taste, I guess," I replied.

"Maybe my dress is too short," Rebekah tried to reason. "This century is so fickle. Everyone where's such revealing clothes, but if you reveal too much, people think you're a harlot."

"You look fine," I laughed. "Don't worry about it."

"Everyone else is having fun," she sighed.

"Hey, I thought we were having fun here," I protested, lifting my marshmallow out of the fire to reveal it's perfectly caramelized skin. Rebekah frowned and lifted hers out of the fire…only to have the fire follow; she blew the flame out, only to reveal that her marshmallow was completely burnt as well.

"I've ruined it. How is this supposed to be fun?" she asked.

"I've had practice," I shrugged. "We'll just get you another one."

"Having fun?" Damon asked, stepping over the bench so he was sitting next to me. I raised an eyebrow at him; according to Elena's plan, he was supposed to help Alaric incapacitate Stefan. What was he doing here?

"Don't you have friends your own age?" Rebekah sneered at him.

"You're one to talk," Damon sneered in return.

"I have a friend, thank you."

"Well I have a girlfriend," he replied, wrapping an arm around my waist.

"Damon, meet Rebekah. Rebekah, meet Damon," I introduced them with as much sarcasm as I could muster.

"Hmm," Rebekah glared at him and then poked at her marshmallow.

"I was just showing Rebekah how to toast marshmallows," I told Damon.

"It doesn't look like it's working," he said, looking at her burnt marshmallow.

"That's because it isn't," she huffed. "Thank you for rubbing it in."

"It's because you're holding it too far into the fire," I explained. I traded sticks with her and motioned for her to try it. She looked at it for a second before taking a cautious bite.

"It's good," she smiled and then finished it off. I was happy that I got her to enjoy something sort of modern. I looked at the burnt marshmallow and plucked the burnt skin off of it to reveal the melty, sugary center. I put it into my mouth and enjoyed the sweet treat as well. Damon took my hand in his and I watched as he lifted my fingers to his lips and then put them into his mouth, one by one, so he could lick the melted marshmallow off of them.

"I don't like to be left out," he explained with a smirk.

"Don't make me vomit," Rebekah scoffed at him. I turned to her and raised my eyebrows to display my shock at her behavior. "What?"

"_Try_ to be a little nicer," I muttered, earning a drawn-out eye roll from her. I opened my mouth to say something else when my phone began to ring. I excused myself and walked a few feet away, pulling my phone out of my pocket as I did.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Miranda! Thank God!" Bonnie said on the other end. "We need your help."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I watched as Miranda talked frantically into the phone; she frantically looked around the party and then rushed off into the dark woods. What was she doing? That wasn't part of the plan. Well, neither was my playing third wheel to her chance to distract Rebekah, but this was entirely different.

"I don't know what she sees in you," the blonde Original sneered at me, just as she had been since I joined her and Miranda.

"What?" I asked.

"I mean, just look at you," she squinted her eyes at me. "Arrogant, nosy, annoying, possessive. But I guess I can see the attraction; you are sort of handsome. Charming in your own way."

"You say you know Miranda—that you were her friend—but you _don't_. You don't know anything about her, or me, or our relationship."

"Oh, but I do. I can read you like a book!"

"Really?" I asked. "Give me a little summary then. Some Cliff's Notes."

"Miranda has _always_ wanted to find true love," Rebekah said haughtily. "Even when she didn't. She might've even found it once, a long time ago, but my brothers got in the way, as they usually do. Some time passed and eventually she met you. You fell for her and you did everything in your power to get her to fall for you as well. I'm surprised she did, but she probably convinced herself that if she hadn't found love yet, she might as well settle for what she could get." I stared at her for a few moments and then laughed in her face.

"That shows how much you know," I laughed. "She didn't settle for me. She loves me more than anything else in the world, and I love her even more than _that_."

"Keep lying to yourself," she shrugged, not phased in the least. As she started roasting another marshmallow, I frowned and thought about her little story. Miranda loved me; I knew that and it was one of the few things in life I knew I could trust. But she never mentioned falling in love with another guy before she met me.

She might have been hundreds of years older than I was, and that was a long time to wander around and not find love, especially considering I found it with her when I was still human, but it had to be a lie. It _had_ to be. If there was another guy out there, roaming the Earth, with a spot in her heart…I don't know what I would do. I would fight for her, I guess. But what if she loved him more than she loved me?

I looked back at Rebekah and found that she was watching me with a devious, satisfied smirk.

No. This was just a game. A lie. Rebekah was trying to get this reaction out of me; she was trying to get me to doubt Miranda. But…why?

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I spotted Elena and Rick, who was carrying an unconscious Stefan, running through the high school parking lot towards Rick's car.

"There you are," I exclaimed in relief.

"Miranda?" Elena asked in confusion. "Where's Damon? He was supposed to help Rick."

"It doesn't matter," I said, looking around the parking lot with caution. "Bonnie called me; you need to get out of here."

"What, why?" Rick asked. "What happened?"

"Short story," I said. "Matt kind of resurrected Vicki so she could be in our world, but it turns out Vicki wants to kill Elena."

"What?" they both exclaimed.

"Why?" Elena asked.

"I don't know," I told her. "But Bonnie was pretty insistent that I make sure you get someplace safe until she can undo the magic."

"We have to get Stefan to the police station," Elena replied. "I'll be safe there."

"Let's go," Rick said. As Elena climbed into the passenger's seat of the car, I helped Rick put Stefan into the trunk. Once we were sure he was secure, and still unconscious, Rick shut the trunk and started for the driver's side door. There was a clatter and we looked down to find a gasoline can on the ground.

"I see all the geniuses came out to the bonfire tonight," Rick muttered, rolling his eyes.

"They're your students, you know," I told him.  
"That doesn't mean that I have to like them," he replied.

There was a flicker of something in the corner of my eye and I turned to see what it was…only to notice the blazing fire rolling along a track of gasoline towards the car. Before either of us could react, it had reached us, igniting the rear tire and quickly spreading to the rest of the car.

"Elena!" Rick exclaimed and he ran to the front and tried to open the door to get her out. When he tried the door, though, it was locked from the inside. I tried the back seat with the same result. "Elena, open the door!"

"I can't!" Her cries were muffled. "It won't open."

"Try the lock," I told her.

"It isn't working," she replied. "It's jammed." As Rick ran to a nearby truck to try to find something to pry the door open with, I tried breaking the windows. Every punch, every kick, made no cracks, even with my vampire strength.

"Try kicking the window out from the inside," I told Elena. She lifted her feet up and tried to kick out the dash, but as the smoke grew stronger, she grew weaker.

"I can't," she coughed. Rick returned with a crowbar and tried the door again with no avail; I was about to take it from him to try, when a familiar dull burning sensation erupted in my head and I fell to my knees.

"What's going on?" Rick asked in a panic. "What's wrong?" I shook my head and motioned for him to help Elena.

There was only one cause for that feeling that I knew of: magic. There was a _witch_ who wanted to kill Elena; it was the only explanation I could think of that would justify Matt—a human—resurrecting Vicki, the windows of the car becoming indestructible, and the pain that was steadily growing in my skull.

After a few moments, the pain vanished and I got to my feet; I noticed the burning trunk door fly off the back of Rick's car and I quickly rushed to the back, avoiding the flames as much as I could to help Elena out of the car.

"Come on," Rick said, pulling us away. "Before it blows."

"No!" Elena resisted and pulled me back towards the car. "Not without Stefan."

"I'll get him," I told her. "Go!" She let go of me and I rushed back to the car, tugging on Stefan's limp, unconscious body with as much strength as I could muster. Maybe it was all the smoke in the air, and maybe it was the after effects of the witch spell, but gosh, he was heavy.

I dragged him away from the burning car as quickly as I could and I reached Elena and Alaric just as the car became a roaring fire ball.

"That…sucked," I laughed breathlessly as we watched the inferno.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

By the time she had returned to the bonfire, she was a ripped, smoky mess herself. Once she told me what had happened, and that Rick and Elena had gone home, I whisked her to the boarding house for an emergency appointment with _Dr. Salvatore_.

I thought it was witty; she didn't, but she went along with it anyways. There had been a nice bubble bath and a thorough examination; as she tried to get dressed so she could go home, I announced that she didn't have a clean bill of health and had to be admitted for the night for observations and tests. That was where she drew the line.

"Damon," Miranda giggled, swatting at my hands as I tugged at the hem of her new shirt and nibbled at her neck.

"Dr. Salvatore," I reminded her.

"Alright, _Dr. Salvatore_," she conceded. "I feel fine. Let me go."

"Ok, I believe you. But now that you mention it," I groaned against her skin. "I'm not feeling too well; I've overdosed on marshmallows and conversations with a bitchy Original vampire. Maybe _I_ need _Dr. Avery_ to give me a check-up."

"All appointments have to be scheduled six weeks in advance," she said in a serious tone. "Besides, I'm not accepting any new patients right now."

"But I'll die if you don't." She spun in my arms and wrapped her own around my neck.

"Last I checked, you're already dead," she said, pecking at my lips.

"That's why I need to see a doctor," I muttered.

"You need to see a psychiatrist," she laughed and backed out of my embrace. "But more importantly, there's a bloody mess downstairs that you need to clean."

"That's Stefan's mess," I informed her, flopping back onto my bed. In a split second, Miranda was beside me, running a hand through my hair as she gave me a breathtaking kiss.

"Please?" she asked seductively. "For me?"

"You owe me again," I told her seriously.

"I have to pay my doctor's bill," she muttered with a smile. "We'll just add that to the tab."

"Hmmm," I smirked and tried to capture her lips, but, in the blink of an eye, she was gone. I heard her yell goodbye from downstairs, and the front door slammed shut.

After a few seconds, I picked myself out of bed and quickly rushed downstairs to start on the mess. Stefan had gotten rid of the bodies before he had gone to school, so all I really needed to clean up were the bloodstains and the ruined Persian rug.

As I rolled the rug up so I could get rid of it, there was a rush and a nearby vase crashed to the ground. I rolled my eyes and stared at the broken shards.

"Keep it up Stefan!" I said as loudly as I could so he could hear me. "I'm getting sick of your games, brother!" There were a few more distant crashes and I rolled my eyes, kneeling down so I could clean up the new mess. I muttered all the things I was going to do to him when I got my hands on him—strangle him, pull his liver out through his nose; you know, the normal stuff—as I picked up the shards.

I hadn't expected to be hit in the face with the force of a truck, enough to send me flying through the air and land on the stairs. My head was spinning and soon, the world went dark.

* * *

**Victor's POV**

I crept up the staircase, although I knew I didn't have to be so cautious; it wasn't as if anyone would hear me. The house had been confusing to me at first, but I had been here enough times to know my way around.

The door at the far end of the hallway was slightly ajar and I slid inside the room. I made my way over to the bed and smiled warmly at the sight before me; it astounded me that Miranda had never grown out of the adorable expressions she made when she slept. She had nightmares since she was a child, I knew all about them, but I used as much influence as I had to help chase them away.

I noticed Miranda shiver and I cautiously pulled the blanket up higher onto her shoulders so she wouldn't be cold.

"All will be well once more, Mira," I muttered. "I promise."

**A/N: New update. Uh…not really much to say about it except ****Cliff Hanger****! I'd really like to hear some theories about it; who is Victor? I know, of course, and I'm sure you readers are smart enough to possibly figure it out, especially since Ghost World is the next episode. I didn't really give many hints though; if you read the entire story so far, it'll help. There aren't that many dead guys from Miranda's past that I've mentioned.**

** The titles of the previous chapter and this chapter were kind of my shout out to senior year of high school, specifically, my own. This year is my senior year and my class quote is "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," from Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. As accurate as that statement is about high school, it is probably the most overused class quote ever and I had to just include it in here.**

** Anyways, enough of my rambling. Reviews are always appreciated and they will get you a sneak peek of the next chapter. So review; questions, comments, concerns. I'm all ears…well, eyes!**

**Until next time!**


	65. Who Ya Gonna Call?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

I woke to the sound of my phone buzzing and I groaned. Judging by the light streaming through my windows, it was late morning and I knew I should stop being lazy, but I was warm and comfortable.

I groaned, rolling onto my side so I could grab my phone. To my surprise, it was laying on the pillow next to me, rather than on the nightstand where I left it. I picked it up and found that I had one new text waiting for me.

_Private Number: Good morning, Miranda._

I had gotten a new phone when I was out shopping with Rebekah—Klaus' destructive behavior had rendered my old one to dust—and I had programmed the contacts I had memorized; I didn't think I had left anyone out. My phone buzzed again and I looked at the new message.

_Private Number: The sun is shining, the birds are chirping. It truly is poetic._

A slight panic overtook me and I deleted both messages; the last time I had received cryptic phone calls and texts, I was being hunted down by John Gilbert. Although I knew that he wasn't the source of these messages, I didn't want a repeat performance of our little dance.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I woke up feeling stiff and sore; I groaned and opened my eyes, wincing at the faint light that hit them. After a few seconds, my vision cleared and I realized that I was chained to a chair, in the sitting room, and that there was a poker from the fireplace shish-kabobing me through my chest.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," I groaned, pulling myself as upright as I could. The strain, as little as it was, winded me. I noticed my brother walked past and I called to him, wincing as I found that even breathing was painful. "Oh, Stefan."

"What?" he asked, walking into the room. I sighed and looked at the floor, frowning as I spotted my day ring on the carpet.

"Low blow, brother. Low blow."

"What the hell happened to you?" Stefan laughed, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Whatever twisted ripper game this is, leave me out of it," I groaned.

"I didn't do this," he said, raising his hands innocently.

"Quit screwing around," I snapped.

"I didn't," he repeated. He walked over and tugged on the chains. "It's pretty messed up though."

"Yeah," I deadpanned. "Ha. Ha." Stefan smirked wickedly and pulled the poker out of my chest; I cried out at the flesh that had healed around the metal was torn once again.

"There you go." Stefan patted me on the shoulder and then walked away.

"Yeah, don't worry," I called after him. "I'll just untangle myself." I shook the chair to see if I could break it; no luck. I let out a sigh as I found myself out of ideas. After a few seconds, I heard the front door open and shut, followed by a pair of high-heeled shoes clicking against the hardwood. I looked up at the ceiling; if there was a God, he was giving me a helping hand today.

"Hello?" Miranda greeted. "Anyone home?"

"Miranda," I called out to her. "Come here, I need some help—" my words were cut short as the curtains were thrown open and sunlight streamed in through the windows. I screamed as my skin burnt as if it were on fire.

"Damon? Oh, my God, Damon!" Miranda exclaimed as she ran into the sitting room.

"Curtains," I screamed. "Close the curtains." She nodded and did as she was told, and we were shrouded in the comfort of darkness once again.

"What the hell happened?" she asked. "Why are you chained to the chair? Why don't you have your ring on?"

"Stefan," I groaned. "He's pleading the fifth."

"Jeez," she muttered, tugging on the chains until the broke. I fell out of the chair and onto the floor; I quickly grabbed my ring and put it back on. "Why would he do something like this?"

"Because he's a sick, ripper douche!" I exclaimed, loud enough so that Stefan would hear.

"Hey," Miranda helped me sit up. "No need to get angry."

"I'm sure you wouldn't say that if I was a fiery pile of ash," I replied. "Thanks, by the way."

"Anytime," she smiled and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. I sighed and rested my forehead against hers, replaying the last few minutes in my head. Something didn't make sense. I was chained to a chair, with the fireplace poker in my chest; Stefan wasn't even in the room when the curtains opened. But who else could—

"I don't think it was Stefan," I muttered.

"There," Miranda replied softly, kissing me again. "I knew you would see reason."

"It was Mason Lockwood." She backed away from me and looked at me skeptically.

"Maybe I _should_ call that psychiatrist."

"Think about it," I said, getting to my feet. "We tortured Mason in exactly the same way when we wanted to know what Katherine was doing in Mystic Falls."

"He's dead, Damon," Miranda countered.

"So was Vicki Donovan," I said. "But apparently, you and Alaric had to fight off her crazy spirit fire to save Elena."

"But Bonnie sent her away."

"Maybe. And maybe she didn't."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

After a long conversation about why he wasn't being tormented by a ghost, I convinced Damon to drop me off at the Grill while on his way to talk to Bonnie about the matter. Rebekah wanted to get together for lunch, seeing as we didn't get a chance yesterday with her having to go to class.

"I like these…French fried potatoes," she commented as she happily munched on a few. "They're delicious."

"I'm glad you're enjoying modern cuisine," I laughed. Something sparked in my mind, an old memory and I smiled. "My mother used to make salt potatoes."

"Oh yes, mine did too," Rebekah agreed, scrunching her nose. "They were nothing like this though."

"No," I nodded. "They were much saltier."

"That's why Elijah didn't really care for them, he found them to be too salty. But Kol loved them; they were his favorite."

"Kol?" I asked with a frown.

"Yes, you remember hi—" she caught herself and frowned. "Right; I forgot. Sorry."

"It's alright," I replied.

"Kol is my brother," Rebekah explained.

"Another brother?"

"I have…_had_…a big family. I was the only girl."

"That must've been fun," I said sarcastically.

"It was," she replied distantly, looking down at her plate sadly.

Eventually she cleared her throat and looked back at me; I felt bad that I had brought up family when I had noticed that her eyes were watery. I was about to say something to change the subject to something a little…happier when my phone buzzed. I pulled it out of my clutch purse and frowned at the new text that was, once again, from an unknown number.

_Private Number: Looks like you aren't having much fun anymore._

I spun in my seat and looked around, but since we were seated outside and there were many volunteers getting ready for the Night of Illumination, I didn't spot anyone suspicious. I _did_ spot a scowling Damon, though, as he walked towards the entrance of the Grill; when he saw me, the scowl quickly shifted to a smile and a wave; I waved back and Rebekah turned to see what had gotten my attention.

"So you're still dating Damon?" she asked coolly.

"Why don't you like him?" I asked in return, hoping to get to the bottom of the whole Original-hate that Damon had been inspiring.

"He's rude, he's annoying, he's arrogant," she began, but as I listened to her, I had the faint idea that she might have a crush on him and I felt a little spark of jealousy.

"Do you think he's good for you?" I asked hesitantly to see if my idea was valid.

"Are you kidding?" Rebekah laughed, and the spark was immediately extinguished. "I like nice boys. Like Stefan used to be in 1920. Not to mention that there are plenty of men more handsome than _Damon_. Take that one over there for example; the one by the sport shop, pretending to look at sunglasses. It's a shame he's been looking at you since he got there a few minutes ago. He looks…delicious."

I frowned, suddenly alert at her words, and I turned in my seat to see who she had been talking about. My eyes widened in shock as they met the gaze of a handsome young man standing down the street, as Rebekah had said, by a rack of sunglasses in front of the sporting goods store; he ran a hand through his honey blonde hair and nodded in greeting, a smile growing on his lips.

No. It…couldn't be.

"Way to be subtle Miranda," Rebekah laughed. I turned back to her and stood up; I pulled a few twenties out of my purse and dropped them onto the table.

"I'm sorry, Bekah," I apologized hastily, glancing over my shoulder for a split second. "But I…I need to go. Now." Before she could say anything else, I tore down the sidewalk, grabbing the man's arm as I passed, and then I rushed to the nearest alley when I was sure no one was watching.

I pinned the man to the wall, my hand wrapped tightly around his throat. Throughout all of this, though, his pulse was steady and calm beneath my fingers.

"What the hell are you doing here Victor?" I snapped.

"Good to see you too Mira," he greeted cheekily, using his old nickname for me. "I was wondering whether you'd notice me or not; I saw that you got my texts."

"Those were from you?" I asked.

"I'm handy with those kinds of things," he replied.

"You scared me to death," I told him.

"I had no other way to reach you."

"You're not supposed to _reach me_," I scoffed, backing away from him. "You've been dead for almost 750 years." His green eyes met mine and he smiled.

"Then we have a lot to catch up on, little sister."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I walked into the Grill and quickly walked over to Alaric when I spotted him.

"You know, I've had enough vampire drama today, thanks," he spat out when he saw me, but I stopped him before he could walk away.

"Oh come on," I protested. "Have a drink with me; we've got trouble."

"No," he snapped. "You've got trouble. You see, we're not a team. You tried to kill me. We're not friends; I don't like you anymore."

"Ah, but remember back when you liked me and we conspired to kill Uncle Werewolf, Mason Lockwood?" I asked.

"Yeah, and?"

"I think he's still a little pissed." Rick stared at me blankly for a few moments.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked. I patted him on the shoulder and pushed him towards the bar.

"Well, you see," I began. "It all started when a vengeful ghost tried to kill Elena." I motioned for the bartender and, with a roll of his eyes, he placed a whiskey bottle and two glasses in front of us.

"Vicki," Rick nodded, grabbing the bottle and pouring a glass for himself. "Yeah, I know."

"Bonnie banished Vicki, but she made some kind of mistake, and now the ghosts are roaming around freely."

"What?" he exclaimed. "How are we going to get rid of them?" I smirked; he said "we" which meant we were a team again. Good ol' Rick; I just needed to get Miranda in on the plan, and we were back to being the dream team.

"I made Bonnie aware of her little fumble, and she's trying to fix it," I said.

"Mason," Rick muttered, staring over my shoulder with wide eyes.

"Yeah, I was getting to that."

"No," he shook his head. "Mason." I frowned, and turned as I felt someone take the glass of whiskey out of my hand; there, looking as alive as he had been on the day that I killed him, was Mason Lockwood. How the hell was he here? Bonnie needed to get rid of the ghosts…not fully bring them into our world.

"God I miss whiskey," Mason sighed, downing the contents of my glass. He looked at the now empty glass, and then quickly smashed it over my head.

"Ah. Ow," I exclaimed. I turned and glared at Rick. "Told ya."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I leaned against the wall behind me, a hand on my forehead, as I stared at my brother. Victor looked so different from the way I remembered him from my early childhood, and yet, completely the same; he hadn't aged any—of course, he was dead and now a ghost—but rather than look antiquated, he was dressed in modern clothing. What surprised me most was that he looked so much like me; well, I guess since he was older by 13 years, _I_ looked like _him_. Aside from the masculine and feminine differences in our features, and the fact that he was taller than me, our hair color was the only thing that set us apart. His hair was like our mothers, and mine was like our father's.

"I've been here watching you for a long time Mira," Victor began. "Now we can finally talk."

"What do you mean, you've been watching me?" I asked.

"I have. I watched you grow up, I tagged along on your stint with Elijah and his family around Europe, and then when you went on your own solo adventure after Klaus betrayed your trust."

"You…were there."

"Lurking in the background, yes. What else was I supposed to do?" he laughed. "I couldn't contact anyone and I couldn't move on, so I became your shadow. Your guardian angel, if you will. I might even know more about you than you do." I watched him for a moment and frowned.

"So you saw…" I hesitated, but Victor quickly continued for me.

"Saw you slaughter our family, friends and neighbors?"

"Yeah." I watched him and my stomach churned as I waited for him to lash out on me or say something cruel.

"They deserved their fate," he said unexpectedly. "As did I."

"Victor—"

"Enough," he snapped, raising a hand to stop me. "I've had enough time to think and now I have the chance to repent for my mistakes."

"That's why you're here?" I asked.

"Mmhmm," he nodded. "I don't know how much time I have, but thanks to the call you're about to receive…" Like clockwork, my phone began to ring. "…I'm sure it's limited."

"How did you do that?" I asked, fishing my phone out of my purse.

"I told you I was handy at that stuff," he replied.

"Hello?" I answered the call.

"Do you know where Elena's necklace is?" Caroline asked on the other line. "You know, the one Stefan gave her."

"Um…it's at the boarding house. Damon knows the specifics; he hid it so Rebekah wouldn't find it."

"Of course," she groaned. "I'll text him."

"What's going on?"

"Bonnie did some spell to make the ghosts in town visible; now we need to destroy the necklace to get rid of them for good." I looked at Victor, who smirked triumphantly.

"Oh."

"Why do you sound upset?"

"No reason," I quickly replied. "Gotta go."

"Miranda!" I ended the call before she could say anything else.

"I was right," Victor said with a smirk.

"You know, I don't remember you being so arrogant," I told him.

"It happens when you spend 700 years mocking people behind their backs," he replied. He held his hand out to me. "Shall we?"

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"You'll see when we get there." I him in the eyes and frowned; the last time I willingly followed him, he intended to kill me and then he ended up dead. Should I trust him now?

"Lead the way," I said, grabbing his hand in mine.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I couldn't help the sense of foreboding as I walked through the forest, shovel in hand, to meet Mason Lockwood; it was dark, we were meeting at the old Lockwood cellar, and the way he accepted my apology at the Grill was a little too suspicious. _But_, he had implied that he knew of a way to kill Klaus, so I had to trust him…at least until Bonnie could make him disappear.

"This better be worth it," I muttered.

I stopped in my tracks as I heard a branch snap nearby as I reached the entrance to the cellar; normally, I wouldn't be so on edge about little things, like branches snapping or owls hooting, but Mason had already gotten the jump on me twice—first at the boarding house and then at the Grill—so I thought it best to keep my guard up.

"…the last time you and I took a walk through the forest, you tried to kill me." At the sound of Miranda's voice, I relaxed a little, but the voice that accompanied hers made me tense up.

"Haven't I apologized enough for that?"

"You haven't _actually_ apologized, you know."

"I'm dead," the other voice scoffed. "That's apology enough."

Shortly afterwards, Miranda emerged from the dense tree line along with a young man who was holding her hand. Immediately, I saw red; who the hell was this guy, why were they walking through the forest _at night_ and why was he holding her hand?

"Damon!" Miranda greeted and the smile that began to form when she saw me faltered momentarily. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," I replied, my eyes on her mysterious new friend. "Who's this?"

"Oh," Miranda smiled brightly. "This is…"

"Victor," the man greeted with a nod.

"_Victor_," I repeated harshly.

"It's nice to finally meet you," Victor said. "You know, face to face."

"Funny that you know about me," I began, and then I quickly glanced at Miranda. "Because I've never heard of you."

"Damon," Miranda chastised.

"You never talked about me?" he asked her.

"I might've mentioned you," Miranda quickly said. "Once or twice, but not your name."

"Why not?"

"It…was irrelevant to the conversation," she scoffed. "Besides, I thought you were Mr. All-Knowing."

"I'm entitled to breaks sometimes," he said defensively. "I happen to like running marathons."

"_Who_ are you again?" I interjected with a growl, trying to contain my jealousy. Victor's gaze snapped back to me, and he looked calm once again.

"I'm Miranda's brother," he said coolly. Uh…

"What?"

"My brother," Miranda said.

"Your…brother?"

"Yes," the replied in tandem.

"Your dead older brother," I said. "Who…is dead?"

"That would be me," Victor nodded. "Once again, it's nice to meet you." He held his hand out to shake, and I hesitantly accepted it, almost as if I was expecting some kind of trick. Although, looking at them now, I could see the similarities; it was…strange.

"So, now that introductions are out of the way, I'll ask you again Damon," Miranda began. "What are you doing here?"

"Um…I'm meeting Mason Lockwood at the old Lockwood Cellar."

"Mason?" she repeated.

"Turns out my theory was right," I shrugged. "He's a ghost, just like good ol' Victor here. Mason said he had something to show me, something that would help us kill Klaus."

"And you trusted him?" Miranda asked with a frown.

"Gotta follow as many leads as I can," I replied. "What about you? I'm assuming that a casual stroll through the forest isn't on the itinerary for the family reunion."

"I don't actually know what I'm doing out here," she said with a shrug, then turned to her brother. "Care to enlighten us?"

"Well, as it just so happens, Mason and my intentions are quite similar," he began with a smirk. "Let's just say that walking through walls is one of the advantages of not having a corporeal form."

Victor craned his neck and glanced at the shadowy canopy of trees overhead; he then quickly started down the cellar steps. Once he disappeared into the shadowy depths, he called back to Miranda and me.

"Shall we?"

I quickly turned to Miranda and found that she had turned to face me as well.

"Do you trust him?" I asked.

"Yeah," she replied.

"Alright," I nodded. "Then I trust you."

I took her hand in mine, quickly kissed the back of it.

"Let's get this over with," I muttered, and then led her down the cellar steps.

**A/N: Whoo! Finally an update. I know what you're thinking. Why does it take so long to write **_**this much**_**? It was split up from another, much longer chapter, and I didn't feel like posting a chapter with around 7000 words (give or take). Needless to say though, the next chapter will be posted much sooner than this one because it's already done. Now I have to go and finish the chapter for my Klaus/OC that I promised I would post…weeks ago. Sigh.**

**And now we know who Victor is! Can I just say that this has been a chapter that I've waited for since the Ghost World episode aired. At first, I thought of Miranda's mother being the ghost that appears to her, but then I figured that mother's were a little...overused in the show, especially with Esther in the series. So...Victor. What do you think about him? Do you like him so far?**

**Well I'm kinda tired, and I don't have much more to say. Just watched tonight's episode, but I won't give anything away. (Dang, those two sentences rhymed. I blame reading the Canterbury Tales in English; stupid Chaucer and his rhyming couplets.) So that's it. Reviews are always appreciated and they will get you a sneak peek of the next chapter. So review; questions, comments, concerns.**

**Until next time!**


	66. Got a Secret, Can You Keep It

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

The first thing I saw when Damon and I reached the cellar was Mason, crouched on the floor lighting some lanterns, and even though I knew that he was a ghost, it still gave me the chills to see him there…alive, so to speak.

"Nice of you two to finally join us," Mason said in a teasing manner as he stood up. "I almost thought you weren't going to come…until Vic showed up, that is."

"Don't call me Vic," Victor scoffed as he paced back and forth a few feet away.

"You two know each other?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"_Victor_," Mason began with emphasis, "was there when I first became a ghost. He explained everything about the other side to me; showed me the ropes."

"The spirit world is iffy," Victor explained. "Some ghosts have contact with others, and some don't. The ones with good intentions—watching over family, for instance—are given a bit more leeway."

"Have you ever encountered any other ghosts?" I asked.

"Once or twice over the years," my brother shrugged. "But most ghosts tend to move on once their loved ones die as well. Mason was the first I've come across in…at least a century."

"Well it's nice to know that you two are pals, but can we get this show on the road?" Damon asked impatiently. "Caroline and Bonnie are trying to reverse this…ghost thing as we speak, so we don't have that much time."

"It's nice to see you haven't changed," Mason chuckled, clapping a hand on Damon's shoulder. He looked to me now, his eyes quickly scanning me, down and back up. "Looks like you haven't changed either Miranda; how've you been?"

"Fine," I replied uncomfortably. My gaze quickly shot over to Victor, who was rolling his eyes, and then back to Mason.

"That's great to know," he said sincerely, smiling. I could feel Damon practically growling beside me as he watched the dead werewolf try to flirt with me, much like he had when he was alive, and I squeezed his hand to calm him.

"So," I began, trying to change the subject. "What are we looking for?"

"Uh…" Mason paused and took the shovel from Damon. "There's an old Lockwood family legend about a weapon that can kill an original vampire. Like the rest of their secrets, they kept it buried."

He walked over to a dusty, bare wall and began hitting it with the shovel; pieces of brick crumbled with every hit, but he made no meaningful progress.

"Oh, come on," Damon scoffed and let go of my hand. He took the shovel from Mason. "Give me the thing; move." Using his vampire strength, he quickly bashed a hole in the wall, then leaned over to peer into the darkness.

"Go for it," Mason said, gesturing inside.

"You first," Damon offered.

"What? Do you think I'm leading you into a trap?"

"Thought crossed my mind."

I rolled my eyes as they continued to bicker; I quickly grabbed a lantern from the floor and pushed past them to climb into the newly-revealed tunnel. The air was dusty and stale, much like how the tomb under Fell's Church was when I had helped Damon try to "rescue" Katherine. That felt like such a long time ago, but, in reality, it had only been a year. Peering into the darkness that stretched beyond the lantern-light, I hoped that there weren't any desiccated vampires somewhere inside. Or, quite possibly, something worse.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"You know Mason, I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop," I said as I led our little group through the tunnel. "Your motives are deceptively pure."

"You talk the talk, but I know you'll do anything for your brother," Mason replied. "You won't screw me over as long as we have the same agenda."

"I'm supposed to trust that _you're_ not going to screw _me_ over though?" I asked skeptically.

"You can trust _me_," Victor interjected from behind me.

"Can I?" I asked.

"Damon," Miranda chastised.

"What? I just met the guy; I'm not going to blindly trust him."

"I wouldn't put Mira in danger," Victor reasoned. I stopped in my tracks and looked back at him; the brave, protective nature Miranda had described during the rare occasions she had mentioned him was clearly visible in his eyes and his posture. I nodded and we continued our trek through the dark tunnel.

Eventually, we reached a fork in the path as the tunnel split in two.

"Alright," Miranda sighed. "Left…or right?"

"Left," Victor answered confidently.

"Right," I contradicted. "They always go left in horror movies, right before they get murdered."

"In case you haven't noticed, this isn't a horror movie," he said. I narrowed my eyes to glare at him, the respect that he had just earned in my book vanishing immediately.

"I don't know if you've noticed, since you claim to watch over Miranda, but this is Mystic Falls," I laughed dryly. "Every day is a horror movie."

"Oh God," Miranda sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Why don't we just split up?"

"Great idea," Mason replied, trying to eliminate the tension. "Miranda and I will go left, you and Victor will go right."

"What? So you can flirt with my girlfriend some more?" I exclaimed. Miranda sighed, grabbed Victor by the arm, and pushed him into the tunnel going left. She turned to me and kissed my cheek.

"You're a petty, jealous man," she said. "I love you. Don't do anything stupid."

"I'll try," I smirked and tried to steal a kiss from her lips. She backed away and quickly glanced at Mason, who was watching us like a hawk, then back at me. "Be safe."

"I'll try," she replied, then turned on her heel and I watched as she followed Victor into the dark tunnel.

I waited for the light from their lanterns to disappear before I started towards the other tunnel.

"So," Mason began awkwardly. "Looks like you and Miranda finally worked things out."

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"You two weren't exactly so…open with your relationship when we met. Miranda was especially reluctant to acknowledge that she was your girlfriend." I glanced back at him and noticed the slightly dejected look on his face.

"Seems like you missed a lot," I said with a smirk. "Good thing that we have this nice, long walk, and I can fill you in."

Hey, it served him right for trying to flirt with my girl.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"Well," I began as I side-stepped a rather ominous-looking spider web. "This is lovely."

"Quit being a princess," Victor laughed heartily.

"I'm not being a princess," I protested. "What's down here anyways? What are we looking for?"

"Secrets," he replied.

"Secrets," I repeated.

"Hmm," he nodded. "Things that were meant to stay buried, but shouldn't." I was silent for a few minutes, processing what he said.

"If you know all about these secrets, why don't you just get to the point and tell me?" I asked. "Why this…spooky treasure hunt?"

"You know that I won't be here for much longer; I wouldn't be able to tell you everything I know, and you'd never be able to find a way to kill Klaus," he told me. "If we're quick and find what we need to find, you and your friends will have access to what you need at any time you want."

"No hints?" I gave him a come-on-and-give-your-sweet-innocent-little-sister-what-she-wants grin.

"Nope."

"Jerk," I scoffed. Victor laughed again and shook his head.

"Do you know that old Chinese proverb? 'Tell me, I'll forget. Show me, I'll remember. Involve me, I'll understand.'"

"How profound," I muttered. "But you're still a jerk."

"Your memories, Mira," Victor said abruptly.

"They have nothing to do with this," I said defensively.

"On the contrary, they have _everything _to do with this. There are many things that Klaus compelled you to forget, but no one can simply tell you of them, like your friend Rebekah does; the compulsion must be undone for you to remember."

"I know that."

"It's just like when you were still…alive, and Elijah compelled you to forget about me."

"What?" I exclaimed with a frown. "He never did that."

"Of course he did! He compelled you, Mother, Father…and everyone we knew to forget me. It was how he integrated himself into your life so easily. Think about it; did our parents _ever_ mention me after my death. You only remembered after you became a vampire when his compulsion faded. You were too consumed by your own sorrow to even think about my demise; I became a simple footnote in your mind."

I grabbed his arm and stopped him from continuing on any further.

"You know that isn't true, Victor," I told him softly.

"Oh, but it is," he said sadly. "I suppose, though, that I would've been forgotten eventually. Father was power hungry, and Mother was…mother. They would've moved on."

"I'm sorry," I muttered.

"You don't have to be," Victor said, finally returning to his bright self. "I suppose I should be thanking Elijah for saving you; he protected you better than I ever did. But where his compulsion was meant to protect you, Klaus' was meant to punish you."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, he couldn't dagger you, like he could with his siblings, and he couldn't stake you and kill you because you were a potentially valuable piece in his little game," Victor clarified. "So whenever you stepped out of line, he would compel you to forget something dear to you."

"Like what?"

"Like Lucas."

"Lucas," I repeated.

"I wasn't surprised with the way you quickly fell for Damon, considering his similarities to Lucas," Victor chuckled. "The tall, dark and handsome, the blue eyes, the smirk, and the attitude meant to hide feelings. Not to mention the whole knight-in-shining-armor-needs-to-protect-his-damsel-in-distress thing. Seems to me that you have a type, Mira."

"What are y—Victor, I don't know anyone named Lucas," I protested.

"Precisely. That's why we aren't going to talk about him anymore," Victor replied. "Let's focus on getting to the end of this tunnel; I was hoping to get a cheeseburger before I'm forced back to the other side. I've always wanted to try one; they smell divine."

He pulled his arm out of my grasp and continued further into the dark tunnel, and although I wanted to force him to tell me more about what he knew, a shout echoed through the tunnel and stopped me.

"Damon!" I gasped in concern.

"Leave him," Victor said calmly. "He'll be fine; he's with Mason."

"How do I know that Mason didn't do something to him?" I asked.

"He didn't. These tunnels are full of traps; as I mentioned before, there are secrets down here that were meant to stay secret." He was about to walk away, but noticed that I wasn't going to follow. "Are you coming Mira?"

"I can't just leave Damon," I told him.

"We're almost there," Victor tried to reason.

"I just need a minute or two, Victor," I begged. "Just to see if he's alright. Please." My brother sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Two minutes," he finally agreed. "But I expect you to come back with Damon and Mason in tow; that tunnel will lead them in circles."

"Wait, why didn't you tell them that before?" I asked. "It would've saved a lot of trouble."

"Oh please; you know it wouldn't have. Your boyfriend is stubborn," he replied with a cheeky grin, but paused. "I guess that's another thing to add to your type list, Mira."

I rolled my eyes, ignoring the pang in my heart, and then quickly rushed back the way we came so I could find Damon and see if he needed help; I was determined, though, to get answers from my brother when this ordeal was over.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

Victor was definitely wrong about life not being a movie because this…this was like something from Indiana Jones. Step on a certain tile on floor and you're shot by poison darts or, in my case, you're impaled by vervain-coated super-stakes; at least I was in just the right position that they didn't get near my heart. That…would've really sucked.

Oh, and did I mention that Mason abandoned me? So much for trusting him. Well…I might've rubbed my relationship with Miranda in a little too much; he _did_ seemed a little ticked off at that.

"Ugh," I groaned, feeling the vervain burn my insides. "I'm having a bad day."

"I leave you alone for ten minutes…and I find you in this kind of a mess." I turned—well tried to turn—my head at the sound of Miranda's voice. She stood behind me with a small, sympathetic smile on her lips, as she shook her head in disappointment. "I can't take you anywhere, can I?" Miranda rushed before me and analyzed the situation.

"I'm glad you're here," I sighed, wincing in pain as I did. "Thought I was going to be stuck down here for the rest of eternity—NO! Don't touch the stakes; they're covered in vervain!" I exclaimed as she reached for one of the stakes.

"What do you want me to do then?" she asked. "Leave you like this? Where's Mason? Why isn't he here trying to help you?"

"I might've pissed him off." Miranda glared at me with skepticism. "Alright, I did piss him off. He noticed that we were a lot cozier than we were when he was alive; I filled him in on a few details. You know, nothing special." The glare remained. "And I might've mentioned how mind-blowing the sex is." Miranda threw her hands into the air and backed away from me ever-so slightly.

"God," she scoffed. "You're like a hormonal teenager bragging to his friends."

"First of all, Mason's not my friend," I began. "And second, I just wanted him to understand that you are off limits. No matter how down he's been in the love department—"

"Katherine played you too, you know," Miranda mentioned.

"—that he can't set his ghostly sights on you. You are mine, just the way I'm yours. Mind, body, soul. We love each other, and we belong together and no one will get in the way of that." Miranda blinked twice, something dark flashing behind her eyes, and then she pressed her lips to mine passionately. Needless to say that I was blown away…

…and then I was almost literally blown away. I cried out against her lips as she swiftly snapped the stakes and pulled them out of me. Damn, she knew the best way to distract me from the pain. She broke the kiss and winced as she dropped the bloody stakes to the ground, her hands somewhat burnt from the vervain. I took her hands in mine and kissed them gently.

"Thanks," I said softly to her. "You didn't need to do that."

"Yeah," she muttered pensively in reply. "I did."

"Huh," Mason's voice echoed against the stone walls of the tunnel and we both turned to find him standing a few feet away, watching us, with the shovel in one hand and a lantern in the other. "I thought you might need this, but it looks like you didn't need my help after all."

"Looks like I didn't," I replied smugly, wrapping an arm around Miranda's waist. Mason frowned and lowered his gaze to his feet. Miranda, in true fashion, elbowed me—lightly, because I was still healing—in the ribs. "But thanks anyway." Mason looked up and shrugged.

* * *

**Victor's POV**

"How much further?" Damon asked from behind me. I smiled as I heard Mira chastise him quietly.

"Not much," I replied. "It's just around this corner."

"Finally," he sighed. I heard him yelp as my sister hit him. "What the hell Miranda?"

"Be a little more polite, will you?" she replied. I smiled, once again, finding the interaction between them familiar, as I had witnessed it on many occasions, hiding in the background where no one could see me. Well, it isn't as if they could see me if I was standing beside them either.

I had been the one leading the group since Mira returned with Damon and Mason in tow. Although the tunnels sat under Lockwood property, _I_ had been down here multiple times at the insistence of a dead witch who made me promise I wouldn't reveal her involvement. She said that the key to protecting my sister was somewhere in the tunnels, hidden in one cave or the next, and I quickly agreed to her terms. That had been months ago, and by now I knew the tunnels like the back of my hand; every turn, every trap, every cavernous room, and every secret that was hidden by the darkness.

I had planned to show Mira the contents of the cave, rather than tell her because, truthfully, I didn't know what to tell her. I didn't understand any of it myself. And I could've done that already, if he hadn't also insisted that we invite Damon to tag along as well. I understood his desire to protect his nephew, and if he could plead case to Damon's compassionate side, Tyler would be somewhat safer. From what I had heard, Damon had reluctantly promised to keep an eye on Tyler, reluctantly being the key word; in my opinion, Mason's little vengeance torture-fest could've gone without if he truly wanted the favor.

"We're here," I told the group as we reached a portion of the tunnel where the stone had been smoothed and the ground carved into steps. Mason and I passed under an archway and into a wide cavern, but we both stopped in our tracks as both Damon and Mira yelped in surprise behind us. I turned around to find them both at the threshold, hands pressed flat against an invisible barrier.

"Oh no," Damon grumbled. "This is not happening."

"What is it?" Mason asked.

"We can't get through," Mira sighed. "It's like…"

"They're not invited in," I concluded.

"Yeah," she agreed.

"Is there anything you can do about it?" I asked Mason.

"Technically, the property isn't mine," he shrugged. "I'm dead; I can't invite them in. We'll just have to tell them what we find." I nodded in agreement; Mason stepped further into the darkness to examine the contents of the cave and I turned on my heel to follow.

"What?" Damon exclaimed. "That wasn't the deal!"

"Victor!" Mira called to me and I looked back at her. "You said that we needed to see what was in there for ourselves!"

"Things have changed," I sighed. "I didn't know that you wouldn't be able to enter."

"Let me call Rick and…" Damon began, but I quickly stopped him.

"There's no time for that, I'm afraid," I told him. Mason let out a breathy laugh of awe as he lifted his lantern to shine some light on the cave walls.

"I never knew any of this was down here," he said quietly.

"Well, the Lockwood family has been very secretive," I replied. "Even going as far as hiding things from their own blood; I'm sure you know that better than I do."

"The werewolf thing?" Mason asked. "Yeah. Tell me about it."

"What are you two talking about?" Damon asked impatiently. "What did you find?"

"Are you sure you don't understand any of it?" Mason asked me, ignoring him altogether.

"Hmm," I muttered. "I'm afraid not."

"Understand what?" Mira called out.

I was about to answer her when I felt a strange tingling sensation go through me, starting at my heart and steadily spreading to my fingers. Both Mason and I dropped our lanterns and the cave was dark again.

"Victor!" Mira called out. "Victor? What happened?"

"No!" Damon exclaimed and hit his hand against the barrier again. "No, no, no! Victor! Mason! Where did you go?"

"Guess we're back on the other side," I said to Mason. When I got no response, I quickly looked around to find that Mason had disappeared. I frowned; he had moved on. He just wanted to protect Tyler, and now that he had made an agreement with Damon, he had no purpose to linger.

I sighed and approached my sister and her boyfriend, who was still pounding away at the barrier. Miranda had wide, teary eyes as she stared into the darkness, and I felt terrible for putting her through the ordeal of seeing me, only to lose me again.

"I'm sorry, Mira. I suppose you're on your own now," I muttered to her. "Just like me."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"You ok?" Damon asked softly as we waited outside the hole in the brick wall of the Lockwood cellar for Rick to show up.

"Yeah," I muttered, but paused. "Not really." He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer to him so I could rest my head on his shoulder.

"You wanted to spend more time with him," he stated, rather than ask it as a question.

"Wouldn't you want to spend time with Stefan if he had been dead for almost 750 years?" I asked with a dry laugh.

"He seemed to be a lot like you," Damon offered. "Wise, a little mysterious, but an overall good guy."

"Thanks," I said with a small smile.

"Miranda?" Rick called from the top of the stairs. "Damon? You two down here?"

"Yep," Damon replied. "It's about time you got here."

"Didn't you have anyone else to call?" Rick asked as he reached us. I could immediately tell that he was still bitter at Damon for snapping his neck at the Founder's Council potluck.

"No, I don't actually," Damon sighed. "You're pretty much the only non-vampire I trust, aside from Elena."

"Well, you have a crappy way of showing that," Rick scoffed, stepping past us as he turned his flashlight on. Damon quickly got to his feet.

"Look, if Mason Lockwood can get over the fact that I killed him, can't you cut me a little slack?" he asked.

"I shouldn't have to get over it," Rick snapped. "I'm your friend…was your friend, Damon. You shouldn't have done it in the first place."

"He's right, you know," I muttered. Damon nudged lightly me with his foot. "Just saying."

"Well," Damon stammered. "Sometimes…I do things that I don't have to do."

"You're going to recycle the same crap-ass apology that you gave Mason Lockwood?" Rick asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well…I didn't mean it with him," Damon shrugged sheepishly. Rick sighed and looked at the opening to the tunnels, then back at Damon, and gave him a small smile, which I could tell was just a cover for an even bigger one that was just fighting its way out.

About a half-hour later, Damon and I were standing against the vampire barrier outside the cave Victor had led us to, and Rick was looking around inside, the light from his flashlight bouncing around the walls rapidly at first, before settling just beyond Damon's and my field of vision.

"So?" Damon asked. "Was Vic just screwing with us, or is there really something in there?"

"I…" Rick laughed in disbelief. "Wow."

"Did you find something?" I asked, wishing that the barrier was just a foot further forward so I could see.

"Yeah. I found something," he replied with awe.

"What is it?" Damon asked.

"I…I have no idea," Rick replied.

"What is that supposed to mean?' I asked.

"See for yourself," he said, turning his flashlight to the far cave wall. In the beam of light, I could make out white chalky drawings on the stone—things like stick figures and trees and flowers and the sun—and my jaw dropped.

"What the hell," Damon muttered.

Victor was right when he said that the tunnels held secrets.

Secrets of the past.

Secrets of those long since dead.

**A/N: So, **_**Ghost World**_** is over. I kinda struggled with this one, but we've got some possible precursors to upcoming events. Can anyone guess what they are? And as for when those events will take place…you'll have to wait and see!**

**And that's it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited after the last chapter; I really appreciate all the feedback and encouragement. Reviews are always appreciated and they will get you a sneak peek of the next chapter. So review; questions, comments, concerns. Anything!**

**Until next time!**


	67. Thicker Than Water

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

"So, the Lockwoods really have no idea that these tunnels are underneath their property?" Elena asked, carefully sidestepping a rather large cobweb as we followed Alaric through the narrow space.

It had been practically an hour since we started our trek through the Lockwood tunnels so we could take a closer look at the carving we had found.

"Apparently not," I told her. "I guess it was one of those family secrets that died."

"You don't have to tell me anything about those," she sighed.

It had been Damon's idea for the little excursion, rather than to just send Rick in alone, but so far, he was nowhere to be found. I had a feeling that he was lurking in the shadows somewhere, waiting to jump out and scare us.

I rolled my eyes as I heard footsteps suddenly behind us; so predictable

"Careful where you shine that thing," Rick said as Elena waved her flashlight around to emphasize her words. "Bats hate light."

I rolled my eyes again, wondering how my predictable boyfriend had recruited Rick into his schemes as well. Well…maybe it was more that I wondered _why_ Rick would agree to them.

"Wait, what?" Elena frowned.

"Damon's standing right behind you," I gave away.

"What?" Elena turned on her heel and shined her flashlight into an unsuspecting Damon's eyes. "Ugh, you're so stupid." She turned on her heel and continued following Rick.

"Miranda!" Damon exclaimed as he fell instep beside me. "Why the hell did you give me away?"

"What can I say? I love ruining your fun," I told him with a grin.

"If you _really_ loved _me_, though, you'd let me have my fun," he offered.

"Hmm…the jury will have to consider that and get back to you with the official ruling." Damon smirked and wrapped his arm around my waist, leaning close enough so his lips brushed against the shell of my ear.

"Anything I can do to sway their decision?" he whispered seductively.

"Stop it," I giggled as his breath tickled me. "What would the kids say?"

"We would ask you to stop fooling around and keep up," Rick called back to us.

"I think he gets it from you," Damon huffed.

"Oh, definitely," I laughed.

We all walked silently for a while until we reached the cave, and then Damon and I stopped while Elena and Rick continued in.

"End of the line for us," Damon sighed as he leaned against the tunnel wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

"So you really can't get in?" Elena asked.

"Nope," I sighed.

"The ancient Lockwoods were anti-vampire," Damon elaborated.

"What do you mean, ancient?"

"See for yourself," I told her.

She followed Rick into the cave and awed at the carvings.

"Wow," she breathed out. "What is all this?"

"As far as I can tell," Rick began. "It's a story. A really, really old story. That, right there, is the moon cycle." He pointed his flashlight at a set of carvings on the far wall. "A man, a wolf."

"A werewolf," Elena surmised.

"Yeah," Damon smirked. "It's the Lockwood diaries. Pictionary style."

"I don't understand," Elena began. "I thought the Lockwoods came here with the other founders in the 1860's."

"Maybe they did," I told her. "But the werewolf gene could have been here before that."

"Long before that," Rick agreed.

"How long?" Elena asked.

"Long," Damon stated simply. "But it gets better."

"Show her what you showed us the other day," I told Rick. He nodded and then moved to another set of carvings, words.

"Names," he told Elena. "They aren't native. They're Runic; a Viking script."

"Vikings?" she asked.

"This name here? I translated it and it reads Niklaus."

"But that means…" Elena trailed off from shock.

"Klaus," I finished for her.

"And Elijah," Rick said, pointing to another name. "And Rebekah."

"The names of the Original family?"

"Carved into a cave that's been here since way before the founding of Mystic Falls," Rick nodded. "Or even the entire New World for that matter."

"Ok," Elena laughed with skepticism. "This has gotta be one of Klaus' fakes."

"That's what we said," Damon agreed.

"I thought so too, but the last name up here made me think otherwise," Rick replied.

"What's the name?" Elena asked.

"Mikael," Rick told her.

"Mikael." Elena repeated. "Mikael…as in the vampire hunter who knows how to kill Klaus?"

"Yep," Damon agreed. "Or, as I like to call him, 'Papa Original.'"

Rick pulled a camera out of his messenger back and began taking pictures of the cave carvings.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I sat on a stool by the counter, where Rick was looking over the pictures he had taken at the caves, and watched as Miranda tried to teach Elena how to defend herself if she ever got into any…vampire situations and we weren't there to help her. Needless to say that _tried_ was the key word.

"Sloppy," I commented as Elena lunged to stake Miranda, who simply knocked her arm out of the way and pulled her into a chokehold.

"Shut up," Elena defended as Miranda let her go. "I'm new at this."

"She really isn't that bad, Damon," Miranda added. "She just needs to be a little more…" She caught Elena's foot, blocking a poor attempt at a roundhouse kick to the face, and with a tug, had Elena tumbling to the ground. "…unpredictable."

"She need more than that if she's going to take down a vampire who's on a blood bender," I scoffed, and then turned to Rick. "Making any progress with those runes?"

"They tell a story…" he sighed. "But to learn the story, I have to decipher the images."

"And…"

"It's harder than it looks," he shrugged.

"Well, if it helps any," I began. "The 'Ghosts of Christmas Past' said that the cave would lead us to a weapon that can kill Klaus."

"Doesn't Mikael have a weapon?" Elena asked, picking herself up from the ground.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Which means that the carvings will probably lead us to Mikael, who we have already found."

"And lost," Miranda interjected.

"Details," I smirked at her.

"These images might tell us, at least, what the weapon is," Rick pondered.

"Then all we need to do is find out what they mean," Elena suggested. "Once we know what the weapon is, if it's something we can get our hands on, we might not need Mikael." Taking Miranda's criticism about predictability, Elena quickly turned on her heel, ran towards Miranda and lunged forward so to stake her, but was not quick enough. Miranda had been quick to react, though, and rushed across the room and beside me. Elena sighed in a defeated manner and through the stake to the ground angrily.

"I don't think it'll be that easy, though," Miranda said. "If a weapon to kill Klaus was so accessible to us, he would have eliminated it immediately."

"Granting that he knows what it is," I pointed out.

"Well, of course he knows," Miranda scoffed. "Why do you think he's running from Mikael?"

"It won't matter if we can get our hands on a weapon or not if I can't translate the runes," Rick interjected.

"I think I know a way around that," Elena said.

"And what is that?" I asked.

"Well, if the story is about the Original family living here…then we go straight to the source," Elena replied.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

_"Whenever you stepped out of line, he would compel you to forget something dear to you," Victor said gravely._

"_Like what?" I asked._

_ "Like Lucas."_

"You ok over there?" Rick's voice broke me out of my reverie. "You've been looking at that picture for the last half hour.

"Uh…yeah. Just spaced out a little bit," I replied with a smile, pushing myself up on the couch so I could focus on the task at hand. While Elena went to get some answers from Rebekah—I had offered to do it, figuring I would make better progress, but she insisted—and Damon went to check on Stefan, I stayed behind with Rick to help decipher some of the cave runes. It had started out alright, but Rick soon broke out a bottle of bourbon to "ease a headache" and a few glasses in, my focus began to drift, specifically, to what my brother had told me in the tunnels. About Klaus' compulsion. About someone named Lucas.

I didn't even _know_ the guy and he was plaguing my thoughts. The way Victor had described him, it felt like Lucas had been some sort of…I don't know, I guess some sort of lost love, especially when Victor began comparing him with Damon. I wracked my brain for something—anything—that might give some indication to who Lucas was…but I kept drawing blanks. And if there was a Lucas, who I might've loved once, where was he now? Dead? I could only hope, for the sake of my relationship with Damon. I remember how I felt when I first came back to Mystic Falls and found him pining away for Katherine; I couldn't put him through the same heartache if this Lucas popped into my life one day…or if I got my memories back and I found out that I loved Lucas more than I loved Damon.

No! No, I couldn't think that way. I loved Damon more than anything in the world; I would die for him. I couldn't let some little thing my dead brother said affect me so much.

"Any progress with your pictures?" I asked, getting off the couch to grab another glass of scotch.

"Sort of…" Rick frowned and scribbled something on a post-it note. "This here…I think it means vampire; see the sun…and the fangs? And this…if this is the moon, then it means werewolf. I hope." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration and I handed the bottle of scotch to him, which he accepted instantly and took a swig straight from it.

"Thanks," he sighed.

"It's your scotch," I shrugged with a smile. At that moment, my phone began to buzz and I quickly pulled it out of my pocket, surprised that Rebekah was calling, especially considering that Elena had just gone to talk with her not to long ago.

"I'm having a bad day," Rebekah said as soon as I answered. "I couldn't decide on a homecoming dress when I went shopping this morning, the girls on the cheerleading squad are being a little catty because one of the football boys was flirting with me, and then I just had to deal with Little Miss Doppelganger poking her nose where."

"Sorry to hear that," I replied with some sympathy.

"Why did I decide to enroll in high school? It's so stupid. It's so…overly dramatic."

"You wanted to be normal," I reminded her.

"Right," she huffed. "_Normal_. That sounds about right. Actually, I could use a little bit of normal right now; would you mind meeting me in town to help me pick a homecoming dress?"

"Now?" I asked, looking at the stack of pictures that were still left untranslated with a frown.

"Yeah," Rebekah replied. "I just got out of practice so I could meet you at the dress shop in…15 minutes."

"Uh…" I closed my eyes, weighing my options. Rick was practically swamped with all of the translating, but was I really helping him? And now that Elena had, obviously, failed in getting Rebekah to talk about her past, I could try to get some answers; Rebekah trusted me, and hopefully, that would be enough for her to tell me the truth. "Sure. See you in 15."

I ended the call and looked at Rick, who had an eyebrow raised in question.

"Who are you going to see in 15?" he asked.

"Rebekah," I sighed. "She's…having a bad day and needs some company for retail therapy."

"She needs to find some more friends to socialize with than just you," Rick stated matter-of-factly.

"You know, someone could say the same thing about you," I told him with a laugh.

"God, don't I know it," he sighed.

* * *

**Rebekah's POV**

"I really don't think that this is a good idea," Miranda said as I handed her a glass of champagne and flopped down onto the sofa beside her, drinking from my own glass. "I don't know how you talked me into this."

"This is your _boyfriend's _house, Miranda. You practically live here," I reminded her. "Besides, we needed champagne…and a big enough space for a runway. Your house doesn't exactly have either."

"But when you said 'fashion show,' I didn't think you meant…this." She motioned to the piles of shopping bags, tissue paper and haphazardly discarded dresses that littered the sitting room.

We hadn't really gotten far at the dress shop; Miranda had been great help narrowing down my initial batch of dresses, which included most of the dresses in the shop, but neither of us could seem to agree on one; they were all so pretty in their own way and, of course, all of them were gorgeous on me. Spotting some of my classmates shopping for their homecoming dress as well gave me an idea.

Convincing Miranda to have a fashion show had been easy, and then using one of Nick's credit cards that I had pilfered in Chicago, I quickly bought all of the dresses I had my eye on and compelled the other girls in the shop to meet us at the boarding house.

If all the dresses looked good on me, I just had to see which dresses _didn't_ look good on the other girls. I'd be belle of the ball…well, dance…and a shoe in for homecoming queen.

"What's going on in here?" I smiled deviously at the sound of Elena's voice; the rest of my plan coming together perfectly.

"Hey," I greeted with a saccharine voice as I turned around to face her. "What's up?"

"You texted me. Invited me to meet you here?" she asked, showing me her phone for emphasis.

"Well you see, Miranda and I are having a little fashion show," I explained, resisting the urge to roll my eyes at Little Miss Goody-Goody-Perfect-_Human_…or simply snap her neck. "And I thought you might like to join in on the fun. Get some champagne and have a seat; we've already started without you." I turned back around and found that Miranda was eying me with caution and confusion; I smiled and shrugged innocently.

"Look…I didn't come here for a fashion show," Elena began awkwardly. "I came here to talk."

"Oh, and talk we will, but on _my_ terms," I replied. "Alright girls, have at it!" Within seconds, six of my classmates walked onto the "runway" in the six homecoming dresses that Miranda and I had labeled as absolutely hideous on them…but were at an impasse about which one would look best on me. "Twirl please." They did so in unison, and then stopped, standing perfectly still with blank expressions on their faces.

"You…you compelled your own fashion show?" Elena asked incredulously. "Rebekah, you can't just—"

"Of course I can. And I did. You see, I need a homecoming dress," I explained, effectively cutting her short. "What do you think? Pick one."

"I'm not here to shop," Elena scoffed. "I'm here to talk about why you don't want to wake up Mikael."

I threw my champagne glass on the floor and rushed to one of the girls; I grabbed her hair roughly, and lowered my mouth to her throat, fangs scraping against her skin.

"Rebekah!" Miranda exclaimed in shock. "What are you doing?"

"I told you that we would talk on my terms, Elena," I snarled at the human. "So, unless you want things to get messy, I suggest you pick one."

"The…red one," Elena gestured vaguely, eyes wide.

"See? That wasn't so hard, was it? " I asked calmly, letting the girl go as my face returned to normal. I turned to the girls and compelled them. "Go home. Remember nothing. And you," I pointed to the girl in the red dress. "Leave the dress here. Take…ugh, take the orange one."

I rushed back to the couch and casually sat back down, ignoring the look Miranda was giving me as I turned to Elena.

"Now, you wanted to talk?"

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"You shouldn't have done that," I muttered to Rebekah as she pulled me along with her through the halls of the boarding house, Elena trailing behind us looking slightly sick.

"I'll do whatever I like," she replied with a shrug.

"Bekah…" I began to protest.

"Elena approached me. She threatened me with Mikael and I don't take well to threats," Rebekah replied harshly, her grip on my wrist tightening painfully with every word. "No human is going to boss me around; I'm the highest on the food chain. I'll do whatever I like."

"Ok, no need to get riled up again," I said, wincing as I felt my bones begin to crack. "I understand."

"Oh," Rebekah frowned as she noticed my painful expression, and then let me go. "Sorry." I simply nodded and watched as she excitedly led us into Stefan's bedroom.

"I don't think we should be here," Elena spoke up as Rebekah began rifling through the drawers of Stefan's dresser.

"You're starting to sound like Miranda," Rebekah laughed, shooting me a teasing glance. "Don't tell me that you never wanted to snoop around?" She picked up a pair of Stefan's underwear and examined them.

"Nope," Elena sighed.

"God, you're so…vanilla."

"Are you gonna root through Stefan's things all night or are you gonna start telling me your story?" Elena asked.

"Alright, I suppose I've made you wait long enough," Rebekah replied with a strangled sigh. "What would you like to know?"

"Oh, I thought you could just start from the beginning," Elena shrugged. Rebekah turned to me and gave me a look that said "please let me kill her now."

"Why don't you tell us how you and your family ended up here?" I offered. "Elijah said that your father was a landowner in Europe."

"He was," Rebekah answered, much more receptive to me than she was to Elena. "My parents had just started a family when I plague struck. They lost their first child to it, and in order to protect a future family from the same fate, they felt that they had to…escape."

"That still doesn't explain how you ended up here," Elena interjected. "This part of the world hadn't been discovered yet."

"Not by anyone in your history books," Rebekah replied. "But my mother knew a witch, Ayana, who heard from the spirits of a mystical land where everyone was healthy. Blessed by the gifts of speed and strength. That was what led my family here, where we lived amongst those people."

"Werewolves?" I asked.

"They were our neighbors. My family, as well as the other families, lived in peace with them for over 20 years, during which time my family had more children, including me."

"You make is sound so normal," Elena said with a frown.

"It was," Rebekah replied wistfully. "To us it was."

"So what changed?" I asked.

"Well…once a month the human families would retreat into the caves beneath our village. We would hear the wolves howling through the night, and by morning we could return home. One full moon, though, Niklaus and our youngest brother, Henrik, snuck out to watch men turn into beasts. It was something forbidden…and poor Henrik paid the ultimate price.

"Mother…my mother tried to convince Ayana to save him, but there was nothing to be done." Rebekah continued weakly. "That day was the beginning of the end of peace with our neighbors…and one of the last moments my family spent together as humans…"

My phone began to ring, effectively snapping Rebekah from her reverie. She wiped a stray tear from her cheek and sniffed.

"You should answer that," she told me.

"No, its ok," I replied with a wave of my hand.

"Go," she insisted. "I need a minute anyways." I looked at Elena, who was giving me a look that begged for me not to go, and I gave her an apologetic glance before slipping into the hallway to answer my phone.

"Damon?" I answered, but received an earful of loud, unidentifiable music. "Where are you?"

"No idea," he replied. "But I'm pretty sure I'm overdressed."

"What are you talking about?" I frowned.

"I'll be at the bar," I vaguely heard Stefan's voice through the music.

"Is that Stefan?" I asked. "Did you...let him out?"

"Yeah," Damon sniffed innocently. "I decided to deviate from Elena's little plan of starving him to the point of desiccation, but I know what I'm doing. Don't worry."

"When will you learn," I laughed incredulously. "I always worry about your plans."

"Why?"

"They never seem to work."

"Of course they do," Damon scoffed. "Besides, this one is practically in the bag already. How's the 'Jerry Springer—Originals Tell All' plan going?"

"We're walking a fine line," I replied.

"And you said _my_ plans never work," he chuckled heartily.

"Shut up."

"I've gotta go now; Stefan can't have all the fun," Damon said. "See you when we get back."

"Don't do anything stupid," I said sweetly.

"Hmm, love you too," he replied.

* * *

**Rebekah's POV**

"Wait, wait, wait," Miranda said as she poured herself a glass of wine. She had just returned from her phone call and was severely behind; maybe I shouldn't have insisted she take it after all. Oops. Elena had filled her in quickly enough as I pillaged the Salvatore liquor stash. "Your mother is a witch."

"Yes," I nodded, taking the bottle from her so I could refill my own glass. "Although, _was,_ is the more appropriate term, I suppose. Considering that she's dead."

"But if your mother was a witch," Elena began. "Then…"

"Am I?" I asked, earning a nod from Elena. "No, a witch is nature's servant. A vampire is an abomination of nature. You can either be one or the other, but never both. My mother did this for our family, but she did not turn."

"How did _you_ turn?" Miranda asked.

"My mother called upon the sun for life and the ancient white oak tree, one of nature's eternal objects, for immortality. One night, my father offered us wine laced with blood…and then he drove his sword through our hearts."

"He killed you?" Elena asked in shock.

"He was none too delicate about it either," I replied, shivering slightly as I remembered the way the blade ran me through. "When we woke up, alive, we were in shock. Our father had brought a village girl in and cut her wrist, forcing us to drink her blood. We needed more to complete the ritual. And it was euphoric! The feeling of power…was indescribable."

"But it came with a price," Elena inferred.

"The spirits turned on us and nature fought back," I continued. "For every strength, there was a weakness. The sun became our enemy; it kept us indoors for weeks until my mother found a solution." I gestured to the lapis lazuli stones in the ring Miranda and I wore. "Neighbors who had welcomed us into their homes with open arms could keep us out. Flowers at the base of the white oak tree burned our skin and prevented compulsion."

"Vervain," Miranda muttered, and I nodded.

"And the tree that gave us eternal life…could also take it away," I said wistfully. "So we burned it to the ground. But…the darkness still clung to us. The hunger. Blood had made us reborn, but it was blood that we craved above all else. We could not control it; the more we drank, the more we needed to drink. And with that, the predatory species was born."

"Why did Mikael start hunting Klaus?" Elena asked then. "Why are you running from him?"

I was getting sick of her prying; something deep inside of me told me that she would use the information against me, and that I should just kill her, snap her neck and be done with her, but I wasn't willing to jeopardize my friendship with Miranda just because of some nosy human brat.

"When Nik made his first human kill, it triggered his werewolf gene," I explained. "With that, he became my father's greatest shame."

"Elijah told us this part of the story," Elena interjected. "Your mother had an affair with one of the werewolf villagers. Klaus wasn't Mikael's son."

"She tried to make it right," I defended. "She put the hybrid curse on Nik to suppress his werewolf side…but then she turned her back on him. Mikael's greatest weakness as a human was his pride, and as a vampire that was magnified…so he went on a rampage and killed half the village. Then he came home…and he killed her. He said she broke his heart, so he would break hers; he tore it from her chest as Nik watched.

"Afterwards, my father took off in a rage, and the rest of my family scattered. Nik stayed so he could help me bury her. He knew I had to say goodbye to her. Elijah regretted his decision to flee and returned soon enough. It was there, over our mother's grave, that we vowed to stay together. Always and forever."

"Always and forever," Elena repeated. "Even though he locked you in a coffin for 90 years?"

"You don't get it," I snapped at her. "Our emotions are heightened as vampires. I'm…stubborn, Elijah, as I'm sure you know, is moral, and Nik…Nik has no tolerance for those who disappoint him. Over a thousand years as a family. We've all made that mistake at least once; I've made it several times."

"But you still love him?" Elena asked.

"He's my brother, and I'm immortal. I've barely been able to stand the past few weeks, practically on my own; how do you think an eternity would feel?" I scoffed.

"You don't know if you don't try," Elena offered.

"Enough," I snapped. "I'm done talking. You've heard the story, so now it's time to go, Elena! I'm not playing your little game any longer. Go!"

"I'm just looking for a good reason why we shouldn't wake Mikael," she explained.

"And I've given you a thousand! But you will do it anyway!" I laughed. "I know you want him to kill my brother. I'm not stupid."

"It's no secret that I want Klaus dead," Elena shrugged. "He has a hold over everyone's lives. Stefan's, Miranda's, mine, and _yours._"

"Do what you need to do," I scoffed. "Wake Mikael at your own peril. But make no mistake; if you come after my brother, I will not hesitate rip you apart. Now leave!"

"Rebekah," Miranda tried in a calm tone.

"You too!" I snapped at her. "Both of you, go! Get out and leave me alone!"

Miranda frowned and as she got up and led Elena out of the boarding house, I felt guilty that I had forced away the only person in this stupid town who wanted to help me. Who wanted to be my friend.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"How'd it go?" Rick asked as we reached the cave entrance in the tunnels. Elena joined him and Bonnie inside, but I was forced to wait at the barrier.

"How do you think it went?" I deadpanned.

"Who screwed it up?" He raised an eyebrow and I shot a look towards Elena.

"I already said I was sorry," Elena replied sheepishly. "And it isn't really my fault; Rebekah invited me over."

"You didn't have to come; I had it under control," I told her.

"It doesn't matter how it ended," she sighed. "We got something out of her."

"How did you manage with the runes?" I asked, turning my attention to Rick and Bonnie.

"We filled in what we could," Rick began, shining his flashlight on the various symbols on the walls and their corresponding post-it notes. "Vampire, werewolf, slaughter, mayhem. Etc. Etc."

"That's the white oak tree that was used in the spell to create the vampires," Elena supplied, pointing to a symbol of a tree. "Which means that was when they burned down the tree, destroying the only way that they could be killed."

"Ok," Rick shrugged. "Tree equals weapon. Sort of. We already knew that."

"This one is the one we've been stuck on," Bonnie said, pointing to one of the symbols. "That's the witch symbol…and that looks like a heart."

"Upside down figures usually signified death," Rick added.

"Mikael killed the witch by ripping out her heart," Elena explained. "But what's that one next to it? And why is it connected to the witch's death."

"We don't know," Bonnie sighed. "We haven't gotten that far yet."

"It looks like the vampire symbol," I offered. "The sun and the fangs. But…that's the moon symbol beneath it. Werewolf. Vampire and werewolf; maybe it means hybrid. Like Klaus."

"Oh my god," Elena breathed out, turning around to look at me with wide eyes. "The hybrid…and the dead witch. Maybe Rebekah doesn't know the real story of her mother's death!"

"You think that Klaus killed his own mother?" Bonnie questioned.

"Yeah, the guy is pretty sadistic, but I think that's a little bit too far," Rick agreed.

"Do you still have the pictures back at your apartment?" Elena asked him.

"Yeah," he nodded. Elena started towards me, but I stopped her before she could pass, knowing the gleam in her eye.

"Elena," I began. "You can't tell Rebekah about this."

"Of course I can," she frowned. "She deserves to know the truth; maybe she'll finally stop being so protective and defensive of Klaus if she does."

"But she hates you," I reminded her. "She's going to take the truth, coming from you, as a personal attack. She could hurt you."

"Miranda's right," Rick agreed. "If you go in there and try to get her to accept this bombshell…she could do something drastic."

"If she believes it, she'll be too emotional to care about me," Elena tried to convince us. "You heard how she talked about her mother; she'll be devastated. I'll be fine."

I shot a look to Rick and then Bonnie, who had concerned expressions, similar to the one I'm sure I had, on their faces. I raised an eyebrow in questions and Rick simply sighed and nodded. I moved out of Elena's way and let her pass.

"Be careful," I called after her as she ran through the tunnels as quickly as she could.

* * *

Later that night, I texted Jeremy to make sure that Elena had come back home safely. She had, a little shaken, but she was still in one piece. I had thought to text Rebekah, to see if she was alright, but I figured that she needed her time and space to mourn for her mother…and herself. She would come home when she was ready to.

"God," I muttered to myself as I stood in my kitchen and poured blood into a glass. "When did I become such a mothering type?" I jumped as familiar hands slid around my waist and kisses were placed gently on my shoulder

"You've always been the mothering type," Damon chuckled in my ear and I relaxed against him. "So protective and caring. I, personally, find it very endearing."

"How'd your little outing with Stefan go?" I asked, turning in his arms. At first, I noticed the blood still staining the corner of his mouth, and not to mention the faint smell of bourbon on his breath, but my attention quickly turned to the bloody tear in his shirt.

"What the hell happened?" I asked, fingering the tear and the smooth skin of his chest that, I was sure, wasn't so perfect and smooth, but rather broken and bloody, earlier.

"Mikael happened," he replied.

"Mikael?" I asked, wide-eyed.

"Yeah," he nodded. "And he agreed to help us kill Klaus."

"That's…great," I muttered.

"You don't seem so relieved," Damon laughed. "What happened on the home front today?"

"Oh…nothing," I shrugged. "Just drama, as usual."

"Hmm," Damon sighed. "Did you make any progress with Rebekah?"

"We took one step forward, but I'm pretty sure that, now, we're two steps back," I replied.

"Don't worry," he said. "Everything will work out."

"I hope so," I sighed.

"I know so." He grinned and leaned closer. "And then we can get back to more…pleasant things." He brushed his lips against mine and I sighed in content, languidly wrapping my arms around his shoulders.

"Promise?" I muttered as I momentarily pulled away from him.

"Promise," he replied, before making the world disappear with his calming, euphoric kiss.

**A/N: Gosh! How hectic is my life right now?! Tons of homework, filling out scholarship applications, writing scholarships essays, looking for a summer job, considering which college I want to go to from the ones that accepted me...and I'm not even including all my extracurricular activities! Pray, God, give me some strength to last until graduation. PLEASE!**

** Finally I found time to write a few weeks ago, though, because of a SNOW DAY…and I ended up with the stomach flu. But now I'm on Spring Break. Truthfully, as much as I liked the episode, I didn't enjoy writing it; I forced myself to crank it out for the story's sake. I promise, there will be another chapter by the end of the week and it will be **_**much**_** better than this one. The rest of the season, actually, will be **_**very**_** dramatic and incredibly worth screwing this chapter up for. I have most of it written already and it looks incredibly promising. **

**Two word hint to get you revved up: Love Triangle. **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited after the last chapter; I really appreciate all the feedback and encouragement. Reviews are always appreciated and they will get you a sneak peek of the next chapter. So review; questions, comments, concerns. Anything!**

**Until next time!**


	68. Back Stabbers

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Damon's POV**

"Wakey, wakey, lovebirds!" A very annoying, very chipper, very _accented_ voice broke through the cloudy haze of my dreams and I winced as sunlight hit my face, destroying the last clutches to sleep that I had. "The day is new and it's perfect for revenge. Not to mention that tonight is homecoming. So up, please; we have a busy day."

I cracked an eye open and groaned at the sight of Rebekah standing at the foot of the bed, staring at Miranda and me, with her arms crossed over her chest.

"How the hell did you get in here?" I asked groggily, tightening my grip on Miranda's waist protectively, in case Barbie Klaus had ill intentions.

"I live here," Rebekah snarled at me.

"What time is it?" Miranda groaned, nuzzling into my neck.

"5:15," Rebekah replied, the malice she had towards me disappearing instantly as if it hadn't been there in the first place. "I've already made coffee so up, please."

"God, you're even more of an early bird than Miranda is," I scoffed and closed my eyes, hoping, by some chance, that I could fall asleep again. "Give us another half-hour and then we can talk about coffee."

"You're lucky that I'm currently questioning your state of dress, otherwise I would rip that blanket right off of the both of you," Rebekah threatened. "Now get up." She rushed out of Miranda's bedroom and I sighed.

"Sounds like she means business," I sighed.

"Yeah," Miranda replied. "We should get up."

"Yeah, we _should_," I echoed, gently pushing her so that she was lying against the pillows and I was hovering over her, my lips barely brushing hers. "Then again…we could always tell Rebekah to get lost and spend the morning doing whatever we'd like." She smiled and lifted her head up just so and our lips connected for a split second, then she used the momentary trance she put me in to her advantage, and she pushed me away from her and rushed into the bathroom; I was left alone, in bed, staring after her in shock.

"You tease," I called after her.

"As fun as your plan sounds," Miranda said through the door. "Rebekah is right. We have a busy day, and I don't think that Mikael is going to wait around while we waste time."

"But it wouldn't be a waste," I protested. The bathroom door opened and Miranda poked her head out to give me a skeptic look. "Well it wouldn't."

"We can celebrate when Klaus is dead," she replied with a smile, then she closed the door behind her.

"Is that a promise?" I asked.

"Go home Damon," she laughed in reply. Oh yeah; it was a promise.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I could feel Rebekah shaking slightly as she sat beside me; I didn't know whether she was nervous or scared…but if I were her, especially in this situation, I know I would be shaking as well. We were all sitting in the library at the boarding house, listening as Stefan called Klaus to inform him that Mikael was dead.

Well, he wasn't dead. Not really. He was only daggered and sprawled out on the floor before the fireplace. It was a part of his big scheme of how to kill Klaus; Stefan wouldn't be able to lie to Klaus about Mikael being dead, but if he _was_ incapacitated—at least while he was on the phone with Klaus—then there wouldn't be any lies for him to tell.

"I want to see him," I could hear Klaus growling over the phone. "I want to see his rotting body for myself."

"Well, he's here," Stefan replied casually. "Come by whenever."

"If you are lying to me Stefan, your compulsion will expose you," Klaus told him dangerously. "So, answer with your life: is what you are saying the truth?" Stefan quickly glanced at all of us, then down at Mikael.

"It's true," he agreed. "I saw it with my own eyes."

"I want to talk to Rebekah."

"That's not a problem," Stefan told Klaus. "She's right here." Immediately, she turned to me with worried eyes; although she was very sure of her want for revenge earlier this morning, I knew that she was beginning to doubt her ability to lie to her brother now. Not to mention that she had barely kept a straight face when she saw Mikael earlier, probably the first time since she became a vampire.

I gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder and nodded to her in reassurance. Stefan quickly handed the phone to her, and she took it with a shaking hand.

"Hello Nik," she greeted. Thankfully, her voice wasn't shaking.

"Rebekah, love, what's this I hear about Mikael's tragic run in with the dagger?"

"It's true," she replied. "He's finally out of our lives for good." She paused and closed her eyes. "When are you coming back for me? I miss you; I would be absolutely miserable here if I didn't have Miranda for company."

"I'll be home soon," Klaus said softly.

"Good. I'll see you then, brother." Rebekah nodded and closed the phone with a relieved sigh. "He bought it," she said to us. "He's coming here."

"Now, was that easy or what?" Damon smirked, sending a quick glare to Rebekah. "Could've slept in for another hour or two."

"Oh, put a sock in it," she snapped viciously at him and stood up. "I'm going to find something to drink." She sneered at him and then rushed out of the room.

"Good to see that you still have some compassion for others," I told my boyfriend sarcastically as he fell into the spot that Rebekah just vacated.

"The way I see it," Damon began, "is that Rebekah and I have an understanding. I don't like her and she doesn't like me, but a) she won't kill me and b) I won't find someone to dagger her because we know that you'll never talk to either of us again if either of those scenarios play out."

"Why can't I ever find a friend that you aren't a complete ass to and, in turn, doesn't hate your guts?" I asked, my heart lurching sorrowfully as I thought about Jenna and Andie.

"You're the only one who understands my charm?" Damon offered.

"Alright Prince Charming," Elena mocked as she knelt on the floor beside Mikael. "Let's just get this over with so we can all continue on with our day." She took the hilt of the dagger with both hands and pulled it out of Mikael's chest.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"I don't think that we can trust Rebekah not to turn on us," Elena sighed as she stood by my bed, putting new caps together for the wolfsbane grenades we were preparing, the contents of which I was currently mixing in one of the sinks of my bathroom.

"Oh really?" I asked sarcastically. "Cause those Original vampires are usually so reliable."

"I kind of understand why Miranda trusts Rebekah…but I had a talk with Bonnie earlier and she made this comment about Jeremy, and it really struck a chord with me." Elena explained. "About Rebekah."

"You think she's going to bail on us." I offered. "Sell us out the second she sees Klaus."

"Well, yeah. Rebekah may be mad at Klaus for now, but they've had each other's backs for a thousand years. She'll forgive him because he's her brother."

"Yeah," I scoffed, stirring the wolfsbane mixture with a stake. "Her lying, mama-killing, dagger-happy brother. A thousand years or no, I don't think that she'll forgive him the minute she sees him; she's more likely to tear out his spleen." Elena sighed and brought the containers for the wolfsbane into the bathroom so we could fill them.

"Even so, there are too many things that can go wrong with this plan," she insisted. "Too many people that can make it go wrong."

"Well, what do you suggest we do?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I still have the dagger we used on Mikael," she said softly. "We can use it on Rebekah and then there will be one less person to worry about."

"Oh, no," I laughed nervously. "Did you not just hear the spiel I gave Miranda about the truce between Rebekah and I?"

"But you won't have anything to do with this," Elena said, trying to convince me. "And if Miranda tries to blame you, I'll tell her that it was my idea."

"It _is_ your idea," I pointed out. "And a bad one, at that. No. Miranda trusts Rebekah to be on our side and I trust Miranda; there will be no daggering the irritating blonde Original sister today."

"Do _you_ have a plan, then?" Elena scoffed.

"As it just so happens, I'm formulating a secret contingency plan as we speak," I told her with a smirk.

"Oh really?" she asked. "What is it?"

"Well, if I told you, then it wouldn't be a secret," I pointed out.

"Oh, come on," she begged. I shook my head and looked beyond her.

"What are you doing?" I called into my bedroom, where Miranda had just walked in and had angrily begun looking through my dresser drawers.

"Your brother," she began, gesturing over to Stefan, who had meandered into the room behind her nonchalantly, "is a stubborn idiot and has making me to find him a tie."

"What?" I asked him. "You have your own ties."

"I'm 162-years-old and I'm going to a homecoming dance," he replied. "I need better ties."

"He wants one in a shade of black that matches his eyes best," Miranda interjected and I rolled my eyes; Ripper Stefan was such a diva.

"You could, I don't know, not go," Elena suggested.

"I'm compelled to protect you," Stefan pointed out. "And if we take a look at your track record at high school dances…it's pretty tragic. With my luck, you'll go and get yourself murdered by the Homecoming Queen." Elena turned to me and gave me a pointed stare, as if trying to show that even Stefan was on her side about Rebekah being unpredictable.

"A) Rebekah hasn't won the ballot _yet_, but thanks for your confidence," Miranda began as she pulled tie after tie from my dresser. "B) She isn't going hurt Elena." Now it was my turn to silently gloat to Elena as I filled the grenade containers with wolfsbane.

"Whatever," Stefan scoffed and he meandered towards Miranda to pick a tie. "Please tell me that you have a better plan than wolfsbane grenades and stakes."

"Never you mind, brother," I told him. "The less you know, the better."

"My freedom from Klaus rests entirely upon you guys executing your plan perfectly," Stefan replied. "So, excuse me if I'm a bit…cynical."

"You're the one we should be worried about, you know," Elena said.

"What?" he frowned.

"She has a point," Miranda interjected. "If Klaus asks you one wrong question…our plan falls apart." Stefan stared blankly at the three of us and laughed dryly.

"You _do_ have a reason to worry, but I'm not the cause of it," he said. "If we look back in our history of epic plan failures, the pivot point usually happens when one of us lets our humanity get in the way. Considering that, it certainly won't be me who screws tonight up." He took one of the ties from Miranda and left the room.

"See you guys at Homecoming," he called back.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"Is Barbie Klaus done primping yet?" Damon asked from his spot on the bed, watching television, as I walked into his room.

I had spent the last two hours helping Rebekah with her homecoming ensemble. She had painted her nails as I curled her hair, and then she insisted on painting mine and I only agreed when she promised to use clear polish because I hated the chipped, colored-polish look. I left her to decide on shoes soon after because _I_ still needed to get dressed.

Hey, chaperones need to look good too.

"Not quite," I shrugged and pulled my garment bag from his closet. "Why?"

"Matt texted Elena a few minutes ago to say that he was on his way," he replied. "I didn't even know they were going together."

"Tyler set them up," I told him and paused when I saw what he was wearing. His typical go-to of his favorite leather jacket, a black t-shirt and jeans.

"What?" Damon asked when he noticed that I was watching him.

"You're wearing that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

"Yeah," he shrugged.

"You had Alaric sign us up as chaperones," I stated.

"Yeah."

"And you're wearing…that?"

"Yeah," Damon replied simply. "I look good."

"That's beside the point," I laughed dryly.

"Ok then," he began, pushing himself upright. "What are _you_ wearing?"

I rushed into the bathroom, and with my handy-dandy vampire speed, I changed out of the blouse and skirt that I had thrown on that morning and into the outfit I brought with me.

"Va-voom," Damon muttered as I walked out of the bathroom and twirled around so he could get the full effect.

From the front, my dress looked plain and simple—black with a fitted sleeveless bodice that had a modest neckline and a slightly pleated, above-the-knee skirt that flared dramatically, reminiscent a housewife in a magazine ad from the 50's—no glitter or sequins or embellishments. From the back, though, it was wild; the bodice shape was fitting, just as the front was, but there were an elegant circular opening that revealed my back beginning at my shoulder blades and ending at the smallest part of my waist. Not to mention that, to match, I wore black and white platform heels that were styled like a wingtip shoe.

Va-voom indeed.

"Maybe…I should change my shirt," Damon muttered, dumbfounded.

"That would be nice," I grinned.

"Tie?"

"I think it would make the leather jacket look dumb," I pointed out.

"You still want me to wear the jacket?" he asked. I rushed over to him, pushing him back onto the bed as I straddled him. He smirked and watched me with lust-filled eyes.

"I." I ran a hand lightly from his temple, down his cheek, to his chin. Down his neck, fingers skimming over the external jugular, then to his chest, right above his heart. "_Love_." I grabbed his jacket with both hands and pulled him up into a seated position; he instinctively grabbed me by the waist as I leaned close and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. "The jacket."

"Jacket stays then," he smirked and kissed me deeply and passionately.

"I wonder." I said between kisses. "What would've happened." Kiss. "If I had." Kiss. "Already." Kiss. "Done my makeup."

"Why?" he breathed heavily.

"Red lipstick." I smirked against his lips as he groaned.

"Temptress," Damon hissed, hands going from my waist, to my hips and then down to where my skirt had bunched up. I gasped as he caressed my bare skin of my thighs, his touch electric. Not to mention that his mouth had migrated from my lips, along my jaw, and ended up at the nape of my neck.

"You know I love you?" he muttered against my skin.

"I love you too," I sighed in reply, running my fingers through his hair. "So much."

"I would die without you."

"Me too."

"I could never hurt you."

"Hmm."

"So maybe..." He stopped his ministrations and stiffened.

"Maybe…" I coaxed.

"We've talked about it before," Damon said softly. "You…said no. Maybe now you'll reconsider."

"Reconsider?" I frowned. My mind was a pleasurable haze thanks to my teasing and his...well, just him. All of him. Why was he trying to get me to think rationally now?

Damon pulled away from me and I went wide-eyed at the sight of his face; eyes red and surrounded by veins, fangs protruding from his lips. I could feel my own face begin to change as a reaction to it, my sudden hunger mirroring his. Hunger for each other; specifically, each other's blood.

"Blood sharing," he muttered in response to my question, leaning in closely to press a gentle kiss to my lips. I could feel my eyes darken, the veins beneath my eyes becoming more prominent as the hunger grew. He pulled away from me with a growl. "There will never be anyone else for me, Miranda. No one else, but you."

My heart was aching for him, for this. I wanted to—

"Say yes," he coaxed softly. He lifted his wrist to his mouth and bit into it, then held it to me, his blood pooling tauntingly at the wound. I looked into his eyes, the icy blue and blood red making an appealing contrast, and then I lifted my own wrist to my mouth, ready to bite into it.

"Guys," Elena's voice at the door broke Damon and I from our reverie, our hunger dissipating instantly, and Damon growled in anger.

"Don't you ever knock?" he snapped at Elena. She blushed as she noticed our intimate position and then cleared her throat.

"I just…came to ask for your help."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"I cannot believe that you did this Elena," Miranda said calmly. She watched with her arms crossed over her chest as I draped a tarp over Rebekah's body. "I'm incredibly…disappointed in you."

"It had to be done," Elena tried to explain.

"Why?"

"She's Klaus' sister; she was never going to be completely on our side."

"Yeah, but, in the back?" I asked with a wince. "That's a little harsh."

"You're one to talk, Damon," Miranda snapped, her attention now on me. "You didn't like her. You said it yourself this morning. You'd find someone to dagger her, but you knew I would be angry."

"You think that I was behind this?" I scoffed.

"You distract me with the…" she paused and blushed. "Meanwhile, Elena daggers Rebekah and I'm none the wiser."

"He didn't have anything to do with this, Miranda," Elena tried again. "It was my idea."

"Then take the dagger out," Miranda replied, her eyes beginning to water.

"I can't." Elena shook her head. "She'll kill me."

"If you explain that you made a mistake, she'll understand. Please, " Miranda pleaded. "She isn't as bad as everyone thinks she is. She feels alone, misunderstood; I'm the _only_ friend she has."

"Aside from Klaus," Elena pointed out. "He's her brother and her best friend; it doesn't matter if she hates him right now, she'll turn her back on us and side herself with him again. I'm sorry; the dagger stays where it is."

Elena took a final glance at Rebekah's tarp-covered body and then walked out of the room. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

"You alright?" I asked Miranda.

"Of course I'm not alright," she muttered with a shake of her head. I walked over and took her into my arms, hugging her tightly.

"What can I do to make it better?" I whispered to her. Miranda sighed and nuzzled into my shoulder.

"You can make sure that your plan works," she replied. "Screw Mikael, screw Stefan; I know you have a backup plan. However stupid it may be—"

"Hey," I feigned insult and tapped her nose lightly, earning a small smile.

"—you need to make it work. Do whatever you need to do; I want Klaus dead by the time this dance is over," Miranda continued. "And then we don't have to worry about…betrayal or secret allegiances or anything."

"Alright," I agreed. Miranda pulled away from me and looked me in the eye.

"Promise?" she asked, raising her eyebrows expectantly. I took her hand in mine and lifted it to my lips.

"Anything for you," I replied, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

Miranda smiled and looked down at Rebekah and then sighed.

"She was really looking forward to tonight," she muttered. "Put her body in the cellar; we'll undagger her when the night is over."

"We could just leave her like this," I suggested.

"Damon!" Miranda exclaimed.

"What?" I shrugged. "No more pesky blonde wake-up calls."

"God, you're such a child," she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"What?" I asked again. She punched me in the arm and then walked out of the room, leaving me to deal with Rebekah's body.

**A/N: New chapter! And so quickly too! Yay! Hopefully you readers have enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And then the next chapter, which should be up around mid-week, is Homecoming! I'm really excited about that chapter, and the one after that, and the one after that…oh, you know how it goes. I'm on a roll again! Thank you Spring Break! **

**And a special thank you to TinyDancer365 for always being so encouraging enthusiastic and giving me confidence. (You're amazing, girl!) I've been beta-ing for her recently, and her stories are amazing and adventurous and steamy! Go check them out. Now. Or I will find you. Just kidding, I would never threaten my readers. Or would I? No, I wouldn't. But really, go read her stories! *big smiles***

**Not much else to say…so I guess that's it. Reviews are always appreciated and they will get you a sneak peek of the next chapter. So review; questions, comments, concerns. Anything!**

**Until next time!**

**PS. If anyone celebrates it, Happy Easter weekend!**


	69. Homecoming

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Damon's POV**

"Drink?" I asked Miranda as I walked into the library, blood bag in hand. I had just hauled Rebekah down to the cellar, and I was thirsty; even when she's dead, she puts up a fight. Do you know how many walls I accidentally hit her against. Jeez.

"Please," she sighed, running a hand over her face in frustration.

"Is something bothering you?"

"Homecoming is cancelled," she replied.

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"Well, not cancelled. Not really," she explained. "Rick texted me to let me know that the dance is now at the Lockwood Mansion thanks to Tyler's infinite generosity."

"Does that mean—"

"That we still need to go and chaperone? Yeah, I guess we do." I groaned in protest. "Plus side: there'll be booze. Lots of it."

"Fair enough," I shrugged. "But what about our plan to kill Klaus."

"He'll still be there." Miranda and I turned to find Mikael walking into the library. "He would never miss the opportunity to flaunt his victory over me; I have a feeling that this change of venue was part of his plan."

"Seems a bit...grand for an opportunity to gloat," I commented.

"I'm sorry, have you never met Niklaus?" Mikael said curtly. He continued with a sigh. "Has my daughter left for the dance?" Miranda and I shared a look of panic as I handed a glass of blood to her.

"Uh…she left with her date a little while ago," Miranda lied.

"Did you get the stake?" I asked, quickly changing the subject.

"I did," Mikael replied simply. I raised an eyebrow and cleared my throat.

"No offense to you honor or anything, but I'm not gonna just take your word for it," I told him.

"None taken," he nodded and reached into his jacket. From one of the pockets he pulled an intricately carved stake made from, what I assumed to be, white oak.

"Fancy." I held out a hand to him. "May I?"

"It's the only weapon on this earth that can kill and Original vampire," he replied in an unamused tone. "I think I'll hold on to it. No offense." I lifted my hands in the air in defeat and then continued pouring blood into my glass.

"I'd offer you a drink…but from what I've heard, you're more of a "vampire on the rocks" kind of guy," I joked.

"Technically, you could still offer," Mikael replied with a smirk. I shifted uncomfortably and then looked to Miranda, who was eying Mikael with distrust. Thankfully, the tension in the room broke when Stefan walked in.

"So…Klaus is back," he sighed and turned to Mikael. "He's at the Lockwood's and he want your body delivered to him. Express."

"Well he's going to be in for a colossal disappointment," Mikael replied coldly, his hatred towards Klaus evident in his voice.

"He certainly isn't going to come here. I hope your plan didn't depend on that?" Stefan mocked.

"It didn't," Miranda replied.

"You _do_ have a plan, don't you?" Stefan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah," I scoffed. "We have a plan. It just doesn't involve you."

At that, Mikael rushed to him, grabbing him by the shoulders as he savagely bit into Stefan's neck. Miranda jumped at the sudden movement and I took her hand in mind to keep her calm; truthfully, even I was shocked. Within a few mouthfuls of blood, Stefan was out cold, and Mikael dropped him carelessly to the floor. He turned to us as he removed a handkerchief from his pocket and began wiping the corners of his mouth.

"You could've just broken his neck," I suggested.

"Well…that certainly _had_ occurred to me," Mikael deadpanned.

This was going to be a _fun_ night.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"This is madness," I muttered as I walked through the front doors of the Lockwood Mansion. Damon and Mikael were still at the boarding house, working the kinks out of their plan, but thanks to an SOS text from Caroline, I excused myself from the scheming to see what the problem was. And oh, what a problem it was.

The party was wall to wall, shoulder to shoulder and the backyard wasn't much better; the music was incredibly loud—oh, that would because there was an actual band out in the backyard—and there were red plastic cups and half-empty beer bottles _everywhere_. Even though this was supposed to be homecoming, half the people that were here were dressed casually in jeans and t-shirts.

"Here to cause trouble, sweetheart?" I scowled at the voice and turned on my heel to find Klaus standing behind me with a smirk on his face.

"I'm a chaperone," I told him with a false sweetness.

"Didn't you here? Homecoming's cancelled," Klaus replied. "_This_ is a wake for my recently departed _father._"

"Well then I'm here for the alcohol," I said with a cheeky grin.

"Hmm, you _do_ look like you could use a stiff drink," he agreed. "Do you happen to know where Rebekah is?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I haven't seen her all night, which I find odd, considering her tone on the phone earlier," Klaus explained. "I imagine that the two of you have been attached at the hip since I left her here, so you would be the best person to ask."

"I helped her get ready for the dance this afternoon," I calmly replied with a shrug. "But I haven't seen her since she left a few hours ago."

"Strange," Klaus began, cocking his head to the side. "From what I heard Matt was supposed to be her date, but he arrived with _Elena_." My heart fluttered nervously, but I was determined not to let it show on my face; hopefully, with all the music, he wouldn't be able to hear it.

"Plans _do_ change," I pointed out.

"Hmm. Yes," Klaus nodded slowly. "_Plans_ change. Or rather, they should change…if one knows what's best for them."

I blinked. What?

"It's good to see you Miranda," Klaus smirked and turned on his heel to leave. "Enjoy the party."

Once he had disappeared into the crowd, I sighed in relief and pinched the bridge of my nose. When I looked up, there was a plastic cup in front of my face.

"He was right. You look like you could use a drink." I took the cup and eyed it warily.

"There better not be any vervain in this," I sneered. Katherine smirked and shrugged innocently.

"You'll never know until you try," she replied. I honestly considered pouring the beer over her head, but that would've definitely raised some eyebrows.

It was an understatement to say that I had been less than pleased when Damon revealed his plan to have Katherine stand in for Elena at the party, just in case Klaus tried to pull something unexpected.

"I thought you were supposed to stay in character all night," I told her.

"I am," Katherine replied with a smile. "If I wasn't, you'd be dead right now." I snorted into my cup.

"Yeah, _I'd_ be dead," I laughed. "Keep dreaming."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I walked across the lawn towards the doors to the Lockwood Mansion intently, only to be stopped by a very stern looking man in a suit.

"Invite only," he said, eying me in disgust. "Vampire." I raised an eyebrow and took a long, hard look at the guy. At first, I thought that he was some compelled minion, thanks to the vacant look in his eyes…but then I caught the distinct smell of werewolf.

"Here's my RSVP," I sneered and plunged my hand into his chest, quickly ripping out his heart. I tossed the heart to the ground as the guy fell in a limp heap and continued on my way inside. "Hybrid."

As I walked in, I began noticing other hybrids amongst the teenage partiers. Flanking the door, next to the keg, across from the bathroom. Klaus had been busy these past few weeks, and that was bad news for our team. One bite from any of them and we were goners…especially if we succeeded in killing Klaus.

I spotted Miranda standing by the patio doors, quickly walked over and put my arms around her waist, the intimate position giving us privacy that we probably wouldn't be able to find anywhere else in the Lockwood Mansion.

"This place is swarming with hybrids," I said softly into her ear.

"I know," she replied as she placed her hands over mine and laced our fingers together. "One of them tried to stop me when I tried to follow Caroline and Tyler upstairs. They disappeared a while ago and she's not answering my texts."

"They're hormonal supernatural teenagers," I reasoned. "I don't think you have to worry."

"Well, yeah, but Tyler's one of Klaus' sired cronies too," she reminded me.

"He wouldn't hurt Caroline." Miranda simply hummed in reply and nodded towards the staircase; Tyler was quickly descending the steps, his eyes darting about suspiciously. I let go of Miranda's waist and started towards him.

"What are you doing?" Miranda asked, catching up to me.

"I'm going to have a little chat with Tyler," I told her.

"Are you crazy?!" she exclaimed. "In case you didn't hear what I just said, he's sired to Klaus. Who knows what he's been ordered to do, especially if he's confronted by one of us."

"I can handle it," I scoffed. Once I was close enough to Tyler, I grabbed him and pushed him into his father's old office.

"Nice party Tyler," I said casually. "Although, all those hybrids out there don't really make a good impression."

"Whatever you're planning, Klaus is gonna be ready for you," Tyler replied aggressively, backing away from me. "He'll kill anyone at this party if he has to." So Klaus _was_ suspicious of us; that made Tyler dangerous, just like Miranda had said. He was a liability that needed to be eliminated.

"Tell it to someone who cares," I sneered and rushed over to him, grabbing him by the throat. Immediately, he wolfed out; his eyes turned gold and he roared with a mouthful of sharp fangs, snapping at me. I pushed him to the ground, but he got right back up and charged, trying to take a swing at me. I dodged his sloppy attack easily, and kicked him in the stomach, then rushed to him and pinned him to the wall. I pulled the white oak stake from my jacket and was about to plunge it into his chest when my brain suddenly felt like it was on fire.

I grabbed my head and crumbled to the ground as the pain intensified. When it finally dissipated, I looked up and groaned; there stood Bonnie, who was still using her magic on Tyler, and Miranda, who had her arms crossed over her chest as she glared at me.

"What the hell?" I exclaimed. "Why did you stop me?"

"You weren't supposed to _kill_ Tyler!" Miranda replied incredulously.

"He tried to bite me!"

"Enough," Bonnie snapped. "You're lucky Miranda got me in time to stop you from killing him, otherwise you'd have me to deal with." I glanced over at my girlfriend.

"Traitor," I scoffed, forcing myself not to smile as she stuck her tongue out at me in a childish manner.

"What's that?" Bonnie asked, pointing to the ground as I picked myself up. I noticed that the white oak stake had fallen to the ground when she used her witch juju on me; I picked it up and stowed it back in my jacket.

"Nothing," I replied.

"Oh my God," Bonnie breathed out. "Is that the—"

"Shut. Up. Bonnie!" Miranda cut her off.

"There are hybrids everywhere," I informed the witch. "Do you want one of them to go blabbing to their Lord and Master?"

"Why do you have it?" she asked. I looked over her shoulder to make sure that the door was closed.

"Mikael isn't invited inside the house," I told her. "And Klaus isn't going to set foot outside once he finds out that Mikael is alive."

"So you need to kill Klaus?" Miranda asked as her eyebrows rose in surprise.

"You told me to do whatever I needed to do in order to insure Klaus' death," I pointed out and winked at her. "Anything for you, babe."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

Damon and I watched the "Kill Klaus" plan unfold as we peeked around a corner down the hall from the front entrance. Klaus had his hybrids move all the party guests out to the backyard to prevent any messes, but Damon and I managed to sneak under their radar by hiding in a closet, where I got to know how much of a single-track mind Damon has when he tried to feel me up. Once the coast was clear, though, we snuck into the hallway so we could watch the encounter between Klaus and Mikael, who was holding Katherine—who he believed to be Elena—at knife point in order to force Klaus' reaction.

"Come outside and face me, you little coward," Mikael sneered harshly.

"My whole life you've underestimated me," Klaus replied. "If you kill her, you lose your leverage. So go ahead. Go on. Kill her. Come on, old man; kill her. Kill her!" Mikael began to chuckle and I frowned and looked at Damon, who nodded, knowing his cue was coming soon.

"Your impulse, Niklaus," Mikael began. "It has and forever will be the one thing that keeps you from truly being great." With that he plunged the knife into Katherine's stomach and dropped her to the ground as Klaus jumped in horror.

Damon rushed into the hallway, using the distraction to his advantage, and turned Klaus to face him, stabbing the stake right into the hybrid's chest. Klaus' cries of pain made a chill run down my spine and I held a hand over my mouth to prevent myself from crying out at the gruesome sight before me; I had seen a lot of violence…but this…was chilling. Damon ripped the stake from Klaus' chest and threw him to the ground, poised to strike again, when out of nowhere, Stefan rushed into the hallway and tackled Damon to the ground.

As Damon struggled against Stefan, I noticed the white oak stake lying on the floor beside Klaus and I made a run for it. I picked it up and turned around only to find Klaus standing before me, his expression a mixture of pain and rage. I cried out as he backhanded me, sending me airborne, until I hit a nearby wall and fell to the floor.

My mind was a haze of pain for a few moments…until I heard an explosion, and a scream. I shakily pushed myself up into a seated position to see Damon still struggling with Stefan, and Klaus walking back into the house with a stoic expression on his face.

"What the hell did you do?" Damon growled to his brother.

"He earned his freedom," Klaus replied. Stefan looked over his shoulder, then stood up and faced Klaus. "Thank you my friend."

I watched in shock as Klaus compelled Stefan to be free; Stefan betrayed us for his freedom? He might've been an emotionless douchebag, but he wasn't the traitor type. He couldn't be.

I jumped as Damon appeared before me and helped me to my feet. "Come on; we should get out of here," he said, and then we rushed out of the Lockwood Mansion.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I didn't believe it. I didn't _want_ to believe it. Maybe I was dead and this was just some crazy, afterlife delusion.

"I don't understand how this happened," Elena exclaimed.

"We thought of everything, Elena," Miranda replied sadly. "Mikael turning on us. Klaus using his hybrids. We brought Katherine in so you wouldn't be in danger."

"I guess everything isn't enough when you're up against the most sadistic, manipulative supernatural hybrid bastard on Earth!" I snapped, taking a swig from the bottle of scotch I had been nursing since Miranda and I had gotten back to the boarding house.

"But I don't understand," Elena said. "Stefan wanted Klaus dead, more than anything! That's what we were counting on."

"Well, we blew it," I replied.

"Where's Katherine?"

"She ran," Miranda answered with a roll of her eyes. "As usual."

"She ran; who blames her," I scoffed. "Klaus would've crushed her. But…I had him. I had Klaus! This could've all been over!" I looked at the bottle of scotch for a moment and then threw it into the library fireplace, causing the flames to jump wildly and send glass shards onto the floor.

"Hey!" Miranda rushed in front of me, taking my face in her hands. "Hey, now. Calm down. It isn't your fault."

"Yes it is," I muttered, refusing to look into her eyes and see hidden disappointment.

"No, it isn't," she repeated. "It'll be alright. We'll be alright."

"We're never getting Stefan back," I said numbly.

"Stefan's a big boy. He wants to go; we'll just have to let him." Miranda pushed herself up on her tiptoes to kiss me, thanks to her current lack of heels. She pulled away and ran a hand through my hair, her nails scraping against myself in a deliciously pleasant but infinitely calming way. "Ok?" I caught her hand as she tried to pull away and held it in mine, caressing her palm with my thumb.

"Ok," I repeated. Across the room, Elena's phone began to ring and she answered it.

"Hello? Oh." Elena walked over and handed the phone out to Miranda and I. "It's for you. Katherine." Miranda rolled her eyes and took the phone, immediately putting it on speaker.

"What do you want?" she answered viciously.

"So rude, Miranda," Katherine said in a bored tone. "Especially considering I helped you out. Didn't your mother teach you any manners?"

"We're not interested in hearing the play by play of our failure right now, Katherine," I interjected once I saw the way Miranda's face looked, as if she wanted to jump through the phone and strangle Katherine.

"Actually, I was just calling to say goodbye," she replied. "I don't know what else to tell you; you had a good plan."

"That's not very comforting at the moment," I told her.

"It should be. It's a high praise coming from me."

"Hmm, especially considering your track record of devious schemes," Miranda mocked. "And now you're going to slink back into the shadows, as usual, like the cowardly little creature that you are."

"At least my life isn't so boring…" Katherine sneered. "…and domestic."

"You wish your life was _domestic_," Miranda replied. "That would mean that someone _actually_ loves and cares for you." Katherine made a sound, reminiscent of a sniffle.

"Whatever," she snapped. "I'm off to enjoy a nice beach somewhere. Goodbye. Hopefully forever." The dial tone sounded soon after and the call ended. I looked at Miranda who was smiling brightly.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" I asked, unable to hide my own smile.

"Oh yeah," she nodded enthusiastically. "Nothing is more fun than the opportunity to take a dig at Katherine Pierce. Even Elena enjoyed it; didn't you Elena?" We both turned to see her reaction.

"Oh…well," she shrugged casually. "You know. A little bit."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

_I walked alongside a long dirt road that was flanked on either side by a dense forest. It was chilly and the air was damp from the rain, and although it wasn't raining any longer, I could tell from the clouds over head that it would start again soon._

_ Eventually I reached a wide meadow where the road turned into a sort of driveway that ended at a large, rustic house with bay windows and wooden window shutters and a thatched roof. The grass was a dull green and there was a patch of flowers at the edge of the tree line of the forest that surrounded the meadow._

_ With the sudden urge to pick one, I took a step forward, only to stop as I felt something crunch under my boot. A crumpled piece of paper. A letter. I picked it up and smoothed it out, slightly disappointed that the ink had smudged, almost to a point of illegibility. I could still make out a few words though, at the very top of the page._

_I scowled and crumpled the paper back into a ball and threw it as far from me as I could, but the words were practically branded into my brain._

_To the fairest and most beautiful, Mira. With all my love. Lucas._

**A/N: New chapter! Yay! Hopefully you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm in a little bit of TVD withdrawal now because there isn't another new episode for THREE WEEKS, and then when it does air, I won't be able to watch it because I'll be on a field trip. (Made it to the FCCLA state competition with my Fashion Design project; hopefully I'll make it to nationals. Only one person per state will advance in each category, so fingers crossed. Ahhh!) **

**So anyways, watching old episodes as I'm writing is going to have to keep me sane for the time being, so expect me to update a bit more frequently than I have been as of late. Now if I could only get out of the rut I'm stuck in for my Klaus/OC story…**

**Well, that's it. Reviews are always appreciated and they will get you a sneak peek of the next chapter. Questions, comments, concerns. Any theories about who Lucas is? Should Miranda and Damon share their blood with each other? Any predictions for upcoming chapters? Anything!**

**Until next time!**


	70. Deal or No Deal

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Damon's POV**

"Alright," I said, surveying the bar and the numerous bottles that were lined up before me. "You have a choice. Bloody Mary or Screw Driver? Brunch in a bottle." I took a shot of rum and then chased it with orange juice, straight from the pitcher.

"I was going to ask for some more orange juice for this…sad excuse of a Harvey Wallbanger you made me," Miranda replied, motioning to the full highball glass that she had only taken a few sips out of since I had given it to her. "But now that you did that…no thank you."

"What, do you think I have cooties?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes," she replied flagrantly with a smirk. I grabbed her by her waist, turned her towards ma and kissed her gently.

"You love my cooties," I muttered against her lips before pulling away. "Come on, let me make you another drink. Something fruity…with an umbrella?"

"No thank you," she shook her head. I caressed my thumbs over her sides and smirked.

"I can't drink _all_ this by myself," I said, nodding to the bar top. "I mean…I can, but then somebody's getting naked."

"No," she laughed.

"When we get back home?" I asked hopefully.

"No."

"I'll get you a peach cobbler to take home." I resorted to bribery. "I know how much you love the Grill's peach cobbler. A la mode. With whipped cream."

She pushed me away with a roll of her eyes, then turned her focus back to the book she had brought along with her. She had been distant and disconnected all morning, which was very…out of character for Miranda, unless something was bothering her. I mean, I understand that she's upset about our failed attempt at killing Klaus and then Stefan's betrayal; I was upset too, hence the drinking. The best thing I could do, though, was to let her work it out on her own; she'd be her normal, funny, smiling, amorous self in a day or two.

I looked over at Rick, the other Debbie Downer, who, despite accepting my invitation for drinks by showing up at the grill, had yet to drink anything stronger than coffee and had been more focused on grading papers than anything else.

"I can't believe that _you're_ making me drink alone," I told him.

"I'm busy," he replied, swiping a red pen over the paper he had in front of him

"It's the eve of Klaus-ageddon," I protested. "And you're doing homework?"

"This may come as a shock to you, but I didn't come here to hang out with you," he replied in a harsh tone. "I'm here to see Jeremy, who is an hour late for his shift."

"Kids today," I scoffed. "Where are their values?" Rick rolled his eyes, took a paper from the stack beside him and showed it to me. There was a big red "F" scrawled next to the title.

"That's his mid-term paper," he said. "Copied it straight off the internet and didn't even try to hide it."

"Ooh, somebody's getting grounded." Miranda slapped my arm.

"Don't be rude," she chastised.

"Did you say you're waiting for Jeremy?" One of the bartenders asked as she passed by us. "Jeremy Gilbert?"

"Yeah." Rick nodded.

"He was fired last week," she replied with an apologetic smile.

"Oops," I muttered as I refilled my shot glass.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"It's your turn," Damon said, distracting me from Agatha Christie yet again. I looked up to find him holding my darts out to me.

"Damon, I don't really want to play anymore," I informed him.

Despite my protests, he had dragged me from the bar over to the dart board so we could play. Well, not only to play, but to inform Elena of her brother's lack of a job. She was now pacing back and forth, leaving an endless amount of messages on Jeremy's voicemail. Personally, I felt like it was a useless gesture; if he was half-assing it at school and had gotten fired from his job, then he wasn't going to check his messages.

"Come on," Damon pleaded. "I'll even let you win; I don't want to play by myself."

"You'll _let_ me win?" I scoffed and took the darts.

"There's my girl," he smirked in triumph. I pushed past him and took my stance, blocking out the rest of the world as I focused on my aim. Truthfully, blocking out the world is what I had planned to do all day. Drink some wine, read my books, and let my thoughts stew until they were out of my head. Damon had effectively ruined it when he dragged me to the Grill, but I figured that he might be able to distract me.

It didn't work.

I couldn't get the dream out of my head. The words on the letter that weren't smudged by the rain. At first, I brushed it off. I was just thinking about this…Lucas, whoever he was, a bit too much and because of that, my brain was cooking up all of these weird scenarios about him, the first of them being that he was some old admirer I had. Soon, though, I considered the possibility that the dream was some sort of sign from my subconscious; some remnant of a memory that Klaus hadn't gotten rid of completely, as he had done so many times.

"Nice shots," Damon's voice broke through my thoughts and I blinked. He kissed my cheek and walked over to the dart board to remove my darts so he could take his turn. I frowned; there were two darts in the bull and one in the bullseye. How had that happened? Had I been so caught up in my thoughts that I hadn't been paying attention to anything else I was doing?

I turned on my heel and walked back to my table; I had to stop thinking, stop obsessing with this.

"Unbelievable!" Elena exclaimed and collapsed into the chair opposite me.

"No luck?" I asked.

"Nope," she sighed. "I'm worried."

"Why?" Damon asked, his focus on the dartboard. "He lost his job at the grill; he can survive, Elena."

"He's spiraling," she explained. "Ever since Bonnie broke up with him, he's moody. He's not really talking to anyone."

"It's typical teenage behavior," Damon shrugged.

"What would you know about that?" I laughed.

"I was a broody, loner teenager once," he replied.

"Who could see ghosts and lost everyone that he cared about?" Elena countered.

"Touché," Damon conceded.

"Jeremy hasn't lost _everyone_, though," I told Elena. "He still has you, and Rick."

"I don't think that he feels comfortable enough to come and talk to us, though," she sighed. "That's why he's acting out."

"Family troubles?" an annoyingly familiar voice said from a few yards away, causing me to get to my feet, alert, and Damon to abandon his game. I looked in the direction of the voice and scowled at Klaus' smug face.

"Klaus," Elena muttered in shock, getting to her feet as well, if only to back away from him slightly.

"You're gonna do this in the Grill?" Damon asked. "In front of everyone? It's a little beneath you, don't you think?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Klaus replied innocently. "I just came down to my local pub to grab a drink with a mate." He turned to his hybrid crony and told him to get them some drinks before turning back to us with a smirk.

"I thought you left," I snapped.

"My sister seems to be missing," he replied coolly.

"Cute, blonde bombshell, psycho?" Damon mocked. "We haven't seen her, but she shouldn't be too hard to find."

"Actually, aside from finding Rebekah," Klaus began. "I think I might fancy a home here in Mystic Falls; it seems I've grown rather fond of it. Clean air, good neighbors—" he eyed Damon with distaste. "—well, mostly. I imagine you're wondering how this might affect you, but the answer is: not in the slightest. If I get what I want and everyone behaves themselves, then you can go on living your simple little lives however you choose. You have my word."

"And what could you possibly want?" Elena asked impatiently.

"Well, for starters, you can tell me where I might find Stefan," Klaus replied.

"Stefan skipped town the second he saved your ass," Damon answered.

"Well, you see, that is a shame," Klaus said, taking a step closer to Damon and grabbing the darts from him. "Your brother stole from me. I need him found so I can take back what's mind."

"What did he take from you?" I asked with a frown.

"That," Klaus said, pointing a dart at me, "is none of your business, really."

"This sounds like a Klaus and Stefan problem," Elena snapped at the Original hybrid. Klaus smirked and threw the dart in his hand, getting a bullseye without even looking at the dartboard. He leaned closer to Elena menacingly.

"Well this is me broadening the scope, sweetheart."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"I think it's about time we had a drink, don't you?" Klaus asked. I had been pouring a glass of scotch for myself and Miranda, taking a break from our endless frenzy of phone calls and texts to Stefan, when Klaus announced his presence. I thought we had lost him when we left the Grill after agreeing—or rather, being forced to agree—to his deal. Apparently, though, random inspections to make sure we weren't harboring my brother were part of said deal.

"Oh really?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you've been busy with all your scheming and plotting," Klaus shrugged nonchalantly, falling comfortably onto the sofa opposite the one Miranda and I had been occupying.

"You know us," Miranda deadpanned, obviously not pleased to see him. "We never miss a chance to plan something that's sure to fail."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Klaus scoffed in a friendly tone. "I'm sure your plans to kill me would've worked; who could've guessed that Stefan would betray you?"

I knew that I shouldn't have, but I opened my big mouth anyways as I handed Miranda her drink.

"Well, we did have front row seats when your sister lied to you about Mikael…" I smirked at the flash of pain that appeared in Klaus' eyes.

"Yes," he quickly recovered. "Well, she's fickle, that one. And you say you have no idea of her whereabouts?"

"Sorry," I replied. "That's the thing with younger siblings; you just never know what they're gonna do."

"What about you, Miranda?" Klaus asked, turning his gaze to her. "You were, more or less, Rebekah's only ally in this town while I was away. Surely you know where she is. Or have you…_forgotten._" I had half-expected Miranda to look over at me, but she held his gaze resolutely, despite the fact that she had stiffened visibly.

"I can't say that I do," she replied. Miranda got to her feet and then handed her drink to Klaus roughly. "Here. You want to stay for a drink? Have mine."

"Where are you going?" Klaus asked suspiciously.

"Home," she replied. "I don't like to stay in your presence longer than necessary." She walked over to me and gave me a kiss.

"You could stay," I offered. "Then I'll have a fighting chance if he tries to rip my heart out.

"He won't…and I can't." She kissed me again. "Be careful around him," she whispered. "And don't do anything stupid." She turned on her heel and then rushed out of the room, the front door slamming shut being the only indication that she had, indeed, left the boarding house.

"I don't think she likes me very much," Klaus said, attempting a joke, as he took a drink from the glass Miranda gave him.

"Hmm," I raised an eyebrow and turned my focus to pouring my own drink.

"She has more reason than most do, though, I suppose," he continued.

"Why are you here, Klaus?" I asked.

"Like I said before, it was time that you and I had a little chat," he replied. "You know, if you think of it, we've actually got quite a lot in common."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. "Well, yeah. Maybe we can bond over our mutual loathing of my brother."

"That is one thing," Klaus relented.

"Why are you so mad at him, anyways? What did he take from you?" The Original hybrid looked contemplative for a second, as if he was weighing the risks and benefits of telling me what Stefan had done.

"He took my family," he finally replied in a somber tone. "I had them daggered, boxed-up, and awaiting the day when I saw fit to wake them. And then he went and pinched the bloody lot."

"Of course he did," I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Oh, such a buzz-kill, my baby bro. Well, I'd love to find him, just…the trouble is that he isn't answering his phone. He could be hiding out here in Mystic Falls, waiting to make his move, or he could be hauling ass across country, getting as far away from you and your wrath as he can."

"You'll find him," Klaus said assuredly.

"I can't try," I replied.

"You know, Damon," Klaus began. "There is a very small difference between trying and succeeding. It's called _motivation_. That little extra…umph. Now, your drink stinks of vervain, so I can't compel you to be motivated…and there's no point in threatening to kill you, because if you're dead…you can't exactly help me get what I want, can you?"

"I don't think so," I smirked. "Sorry." Klaus pressed his lips together into a grave line, and then smirked, pulling a phone from his pocket.

"Maybe I can find something to motivate you lot, then?"

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I pulled into my driveway sometime later, unable to contain my emotions any longer. Tears silently streamed down my cheeks, both of sadness and of anger. Obviously, I didn't miss the little jab that Klaus took at me, and although it left me fuming, I was mad at myself for letting him push my buttons as easily as he did. I felt so weak…so broken. No, that was wrong. I didn't feel broken, I felt…like a part of me was missing. And it was Klaus' fault.

_Wasn't everything?_

I wiped my tears away with the back of my hand and then stopped my car; as I opened the door and got out, I spotted Jeremy intently walking out of the Gilbert house with a pensive look on his face. I waved a neighborly hello and started up the sidewalk, intending get into my house as quickly as possible. I don't know why I did it, but as I reached my porch and began to put my keys into the door, I looked over my shoulder and saw that Jeremy had stopped dead in the middle of the street. I frowned, confused at his actions; he was just…standing there, staring at the corner as if he was…expecting something.

"Jeremy?" Elena called as she and Rick walked out of the house. There was a loud screeching sound and I turned and saw an SUV turn onto the street, driving so fast that it almost tipped over as it made the turn. It remained upright, however, and just continued accelerating down the street…right towards…

"Jeremy!" Rick and I yelled at practically the same time. Despite having enhanced reflexes and speed due to my vampirism, my world seemed to become sluggish and hazy.

"_Lucas! Watch out!"_

I shivered as the phantom voice—my voice—echoed in my mind, but it was quickly forgotten as I watch Rick run into the street to push Jeremy out of the way of the SUV, only to get hit himself and roll onto the ground in a limp heap as the vehicle skidded to a halt. My reflexes kicked right back into high gear as I rushed over to Rick and carefully rolled him onto his back. Elena arrived as I was feeling Rick's neck for a pulse and failing to find one.

"Oh my God," she gasped as she saw the state of him: cut, bloody and mangled. The driver of the SUV rolled down his window and we both saw that it was Klaus' crony, Tony, from the Grill.

"There I go again," he said emotionlessly. "Bumping into people." He rolled the window up again and drove off.

"He's gonna be alright," Elena muttered in a watery voice as she pulled Rick's arm where I could see it. "He has his ring."

"How did this happen?" I asked, shocked at the series of events.

"I don't know. We were having lunch…and then all of a sudden, Jeremy was gone and we found him in the middle of the street," Elena replied, and then turned to Jeremy, who was lying on the side of the road, stunned beyond words as he stared at Rick. "Who was that on the phone earlier?" Jeremy opened his mouth, but frowned as he had trouble recollecting.

"It was Klaus!" He exclaimed suddenly.

"You were compelled!" Elena replied in shock. "Why would Klaus do something like this?"

"As much as I'd like to reinforce the fact that Klaus is a selfish, bloodthirsty, manipulative bastard," I began, "we need to get Rick inside."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"How is he?" I demanded as I walked into the Gilbert house. Almost as soon as Klaus left the boarding house, I had received a call from a frantic Miranda, telling me to get there as soon as possible because something terrible had happened Rick.

"He's dead," Elena replied numbly, causing me to stop in my tracks.

"He had his ring on, though," Miranda quickly added. "Klaus' hybrid hit him."

"All we can do is wait, then," I sighed and ran a hand over my face. I turned my gaze to Jeremy. "Why weren't you wearing vervain? Where's your bracelet?"

"I don't know," Jeremy snapped.

"It was Tyler," Elena accused. "It had to have been; that's why he's been hanging out with you. To get you off the vervain."

"Regardless, Klaus is trying to send us a message," I began. "He wants us to find Stefan, who stole his coffins full of his dead family members, and he wants it done _now_."

"Coffins?" Elena asked, skeptically.

"_That's_ what Stefan took from Klaus?" Miranda exclaimed, eyebrows raised in surprise

"Yep. So all we have to do is find four coffins and voila," I clapped my hands together, "problem solved."

"Wait," Jeremy interjected. "Is that your big plan? To steal back four dead Originals so this evil hybrid doesn't kill anyone else we know?"

"You got a better idea?" I asked.

"Yeah!" Jeremy exclaimed. "Let's get the hell out of here! Pack our bags and go!"

"Jeremy, be rational," Miranda tried to calm him. "We're Klaus' best bet in finding Stefan; if we ran, he would just hunt us down. Not to mention that Elena's blood is what he needs to create his hybrids; he wouldn't just let her leave Mystic Falls."

"There has to be a better way than just giving in, though," Jeremy exclaimed, running a hand through his hair. "This happens every time, no matter what we do! If we keep letting all of this madness happen, none of us are gonna make it out of this town alive." With that, he got up and stormed out of the room.

"That went well," Miranda deadpanned. She then looked over at Elena, who was staring at the ground with a pensive expression. "Are you ok?"

"I was just thinking…Klaus wants his family back..."

"Yes," I nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"Maybe…he'll give us some more leeway to help him, and won't be as threatening, if we gave him Rebekah." She looked up at Miranda and me. "I mean, I know that you weren't planning on keeping her daggered forever."

"Oh Elena," Miranda began with a smile. "That's a—"

"Terrible idea," I cut her off.

"What?" she exclaimed in shock. I knew how much Miranda wanted for her friend to return to the land of the living, but I also knew that it would be a very bad choice of action.

"The second that dagger is out of Rebekah, she's going to kill Elena," I explained. "And let's not forget that Klaus will rip our throats out for lying about knowing where Rebekah is." I imitated the sound of a buzzer. "Not an option."

"But we said that we would undagger her after Homecoming," Miranda reminded me.

"No," I scoffed. "We said we would undagger her once Klaus was dead. He's still alive. Not an option."

"Then we better find those coffins, ASAP, before Klaus tries to kill another one of us," she snapped.

"Wait a second," Elena interjected, and we both turned to look at her. "How many coffins did you say Stefan stole?"

"Four," I sighed.

"Then I might just know how we can find him," she replied.

**A/N: Back. Again. Tomorrow is GRADUATION! Which is going to be my excuse for going AWOL again. Last minute projects, senior activities, competition (didn't make it to nationals), studying for finals; it is all paying off because I can finally get out of the prison that is my high school. Not to mention that this chapter just dragged on to write, so forgive me if it sucks. The upcoming chapters will be worth it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited after the last chapter; I really appreciate all the feedback and encouragement. Reviews are always appreciated and they will get you a sneak peek of the next chapter, which should be posted around mid-week, or by next weekend at the latest. I promise. So review; questions, comments, concerns. Anything!**

**Until next time!**


	71. A Night of Turmoil

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

"I hate this place," I muttered as we approached the old witch house, recalling the last time we were here. Being burned by witches, not so pleasant.

"I hate witches," Damon scowled in return. "They're so fickle. First the witches are angry with Bonnie and now they want to _help _her?"

"I guess they hate Klaus as much as we do," Elena suggested. We reached the door to the house and cautiously stepped inside. "Stefan? Stefan!"

"Come on, Stef," Damon called as we continued further into the house. "Olly, olly, oxen free!" It was at this moment that we stepped into a beam of sunlight that was shining through a window; as it had the last time we had been in the abandoned house, the sun burned Damon's and my skin thanks to the deceased witch's enchantments. Damon quickly grabbed me by the waist and rushed us to the safety of the shadows.

"Really? Still?" Damon exclaimed, slightly out of breath from the pain we had just endured.

"What happened?" Elena asked.

"The witches' spirits don't really like vampires intruding in their space," I told her, wincing as my burnt skin slowly healed.

"They use their _juju_ to screw with our daylight rings," Damon said, raising his voice as if he were talking to the spirits himself.

"Why don't you wait outside?" Elena offered.

"Oh no," Damon scoffed. "Last time we did that, Emily Bennett locked us out." Elena raised an eyebrow skeptically. "What?" She rolled her eyes, then.

"Do whatever you want; I'm going to see if Stefan's really here; I won't be too long."

"Be careful," I called as she continued down the hall and towards a staircase leading into the cellar. Damon tightened his hold on my waist and nuzzled my hair.

"Well, this is cozy," he murmured.

"Hmm, how convenient of you to chose the corner with the smallest amount of shadow in the room," I teased.

"How are you doing?" he asked gently.

"Healing. You?"

"Yeah," he replied. We both became silent as we faintly heard Stefan and Elena talking in the cellar. From the sound of things—Elena's increasing irritation, Stefan's cold responses, and then a loud, resounding slap—we realized that Elena's attempt at reasoning with him had failed.

A minute later, Elena ran up the stairs and stormed down the hall.

"Come on," she muttered. "Let's go."

"Elena, wait!" I pulled out of Damon's grasp and followed after her, careful of the sunbeams that criss-crossed throughout the room.

"Let us talk to him," Damon suggested.

"You can't," she huffed and turned on us. "Even if the witches let you down to the basement unscathed, do you really think that Stefan's going to listen?" Damon pursed his lips and pulled his car keys from his pocket, and then threw them to Elena.

"Go home," he told her. "Make sure Jeremy's alright with Rick. Miranda and I will deal with Stefan."

"But—"

"It'll be alright," I reassured her with a nod. Damon took my hand in his and pulled me through the house towards the cellar. Damon was extremely careful, if not for himself, then for me; he would shield me with his body when we got to rooms that were completely bathed in sunlight. I felt utterly horrible as he cried out when the sun hit his skin, but once we reached the relative darkness of the cellar and he was able to heal, I gave him a kiss. After a few long, pleasurable moments, Damon parted his lips from mine, sighed and pressed his forehead to mine.

"Thanks again," I mumbled.

"Anytime," he replied, slipping his hands around my waist to pull me closer to him.

"I thought you two were here to convince me to give you the coffins," Stefan's voice interrupted the moment and we quickly parted to face him. He was sitting comfortably in an old, dusty chair, watching us with a smirk on his face. "Not be so…ugh…lovey-dovey." He wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"The old Stefan wouldn't think that we were "lovey-dovey,"" I replied, an eyebrow raised in contempt. "He would think that we were heartfelt and genuinely in love with each other." Stefan simply hummed and smirked, obviously pleased that he got a reaction out of me.

"Regardless, you can go away. The coffins aren't here," he replied.

"We're not just here about the coffins," Damon told him. "We need to have a little chat."

"Ok," Stefan shrugged. "Let's chat." Damon smirked at rushed at him, grabbing him by the arm; in the blink of an eye, they were gone, and I steeled myself for the travel back upstairs to follow them. I cried out as a particularly large stream of sunlight coming from a strategically placed window hit me as I reached the top of the cellar stairs, and rushed into the nearest shadowy corner, just as Damon had done. I caught my breath and carefully continued outside.

I blinked in the sunlight as I got out of the house and my jaw dropped as I found Damon staking Stefan in the stomach with a tree branch.

"That," he growled, "is for screwing up my plan! You stopped me from killing Klaus…and now you steal his family! Why? It doesn't make sense!" At his brother's silence, he drove the branch deeper, causing Stefan to cry out in pain.

"Damon!" I exclaimed, rushing to him and pulling him back from Stefan, who was now coughing up blood. "Calm down."

"Answer me!" Damon yelled, ignoring me.

"Piece by piece, Klaus took everything from me. I'm doing the same to him," Stefan replied as he winced in pain.

"But I had him, Stefan!" Damon exclaimed. "Why did you screw it up?"

"I did it to save you," Stefan growled.

"What?!" It took everything I had to hold Damon back, to prevent him from attacking Stefan again. "No. No way! You didn't do this for me."

"Klaus was one step ahead of us," Stefan explained, sitting up. He pulled the branch from his abdomen and continued. "He had ordered his hybrids to kill you if he died, Damon."

"We could've taken care of them ourselves," I told him, trying to keep calm at the thought of Damon dying.

"Do you know how many hybrids Klaus has under his control?" Stefan asked. "There are too many to defend against if they attacked." Damon pulled out of my grasp and rushed toward Stefan, quickly picking up the branch again and driving it through his stomach.

"You really need to start learning, little brother," Damon growled, twisting the branch deeper. "Stop trying to save my life." He dropped Stefan to the ground and turned on his heel; he grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the road so we could go home.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I followed Miranda as she stormed into the boarding house, shaking her head all the while; she had been silent on the entire walk home, and it didn't take a genius to tell that she was pissed off. I didn't understand why she was angry; even _I _had calmed down in a relatively short time after we had left the witch house. She turned on me as soon as the door was shut.

"What was that, Damon?" she asked, raising an eyebrow coolly, the only indication of her irritation on her relatively calm face.

"What was what?"

"Oh, I don't know?" she scoffed sarcastically. "Attacking your brother!?"

"He was being an emotionless dick," I replied. "He deserved to get the stuffing beat out of him."

"He said he was trying to save you," Miranda sighed.

"You really believe him?" I asked.

"Yes. I don't doubt that Klaus had something planned in case we did anything to ruin his victory over Mikael."

"Or, I don't know," I shrugged. "Stefan could've been lying? I wouldn't put it past him to be a lying, traitorous—"

"You heard it yourself, Damon," Miranda cut me off. "Klaus released Stefan after he saved Klaus' life. What would he gain by lying to us? He's already risking his life by keeping Klaus' family hostage! Threatening him—trying to _stake him_—isn't going to make him more agreeable."

"It's better than just trying to talk to him," I replied, running a hand over my face. Miranda sighed.

"Maybe…if we had time and Klaus wasn't breathing down our necks, we could actually convince Stefan to give the coffins back to Klaus."

"What are you talking about?"

"Maybe Elena had a good idea," she began. "About undaggering Rebekah and giving her to Klaus?"

"We've already talked about this, Miranda," I replied.

"We could make a deal with Klaus," she tried. "Just like he wanted to make a deal with us. We'll give him Rebekah, he leaves us alone, gives us more time."

"No."

"Since when do you get to make all of the decisions?"

"Since everyone around me seems to make bad ones," I snapped at her. "Excuse me?" she scoffed. "You're the one who's always making stupid decisions."

"Well when aren't my decisions stupid when I'm always being compared to Miss Smart, Perfect Miranda? By the way, your ideas aren't always so flawless." Miranda's eyes went wide in surprise at my tone and then she raised an eyebrow in contempt, which suddenly made me regret my harsh words. "Miranda…"

"You know what Damon…" she ran a hand through her hair and then continued. "I know that you're angry and upset with Stefan, and worried about Alaric, so I'm going to ignore the way you just displaced your emotions." She turned on her heel and started down the hall towards the stairs.

"Where are you going?" I asked with a frown.

"Upstairs," she replied quietly. "I haven't decided whether to stay in a guest room tonight, or to get my things and go home."

"Stay," I tried. "Please."

"We'll see," was the last thing she said before she disappeared at the top of the staircase. I sighed an ran a hand through my hair; I knew I shouldn't have snapped at Miranda, and although I wanted to go after her and sort this out, I know that she wouldn't listen. The more pressing issue I had on my plate was Stefan; I needed answers.

With one last look at the staircase, I turned on my heel and retreated out of the boarding house, ready to get my brother to reveal the truth to his betrayal, if that was really what it was.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"Where are you guys now?" I asked after the shock of learning that Rick had come back to life, but not fully healed, that Klaus had sent one of his hybrids to the Gilbert's house, and that Jeremy had killed him without blinking an eye, had dissipated. I had decided to call Elena after I moved into one of the boarding house guest rooms, to see how Rick was, and had been shocked into speechlessness as Elena recounted the events of the night.

"At the hospital," Elena replied weakly. "He's in ICU; the doctor said that he has a lot of internal bleeding. He's stable, but…I'm worried."

"I can drive down there with some of my blood," I offered. "Heal him right up."

"I thought of that and sent Damon a message; I thought you were with him," Elena replied. "He's said he's on his way right now."

"Did the doctor ask what had happened?" I asked.

"Yeah," she sighed. "I told them that I found him like that when I got home from a friend's house."

"God," I muttered.

"I can't take this anymore, Miranda," Elena said. "The death, the lying, the secrets. It's all getting t be too much."

"I know, honey," I tried to soothe.

"It's never going to stop, though." Elena let out a little sob. "Is it? Not as long as Klaus is in Mystic Falls, not as long as Stefan has the coffins, and not as long as vampires and hybrids and everything supernatural really exist."

"There isn't anything I can do about that," I laughed. "Not unless we ask Jeremy to start killing supernatural creatures like he did with that hybrid."

"That's what I mean," Elena snapped. "Jeremy…he's just a kid—"

"You are too," I interjected. "You might be an adult in a legal sense, but you're still a kid, Elena. Neither of you should have to endure this."

"I wish there was a way to spare Jeremy, though," she sighed. "But that isn't going to happen while we're in Mystic Falls." All of a sudden, I had a light bulb moment.

"Maybe Jeremy was right about what he said earlier. Maybe you could leave Mystic Falls for a while," I said. "Until things begin to calm down."

"Klaus would never let me leave."

"Well…maybe just Jeremy, then."

"You mean…I should send Jeremy away?" Elena asked.

"Well, it sounds bad when you put it that way," I replied. "You could have him go stay with a friend or a someone in your family. It'll keep him safe and give him a chance at a normal life."

"I can't just…send him away," Elena muttered. "He'll be all alone."

"It was just a suggestion, Elena," I told her. "If you don't think it's a good idea, forget about it."

"Alright," Elena said. "I'm going to go now and wait for Damon, and then I'm going to go home and check on Jeremy."

"Alright," I replied. "And Elena?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't worry," I tried. "Everything will work out in the end."

She ended the call and I sighed, taking in my surroundings. The cellar, specifically, the cell that Damon had put Rebekah's body. Had I really just lost all sense of myself while talking to Elena and wandered down here?

I stared at Rebekah's body with tear-filled eyes. She didn't deserve to be here, in the cellar, lying unceremoniously on the ground. She had been so looking forward to going to homecoming; she didn't deserve this. My fingers twitched in an urge to remove the dagger from her back...but I forced myself not to. Damon was right when he said that Rebekah would go after Elena once she recovered from the effects of the dagger.

What could I do? What could I _do_?

I had already done so much for this town, for my friends. I stayed for every danger lurking on the horizon, for every conflict.

Nobody asked me to do it, though.

I enjoy helping; it makes me feel…useful. It makes me feel _alive._

But, I'm not alive; not truly. I haven't been truly alive for such a long time.

I sighed at my internal conflict and rested my head against the wall, closing my eyes as I did so.

What could I _do_?

What a mess this was! Everything seemed to be going wrong. _Everything._ God, if only we could have one day—_one day —_of normality, if would be enough to rest and regroup and gather our wits. If only…

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I stared at the coffins, still disbelieving that they had been here all along. Stefan had lied, but had earned redemption—kind of—by letting me in on the secret.

Secrets.

I had been a little hesitant when Stefan had made me promise to keep the location of the coffins a secret from everyone. Even Miranda. I had accepted, though, all the while ignoring the little voice in my head that reminded me that we had promised not to keep secrets anymore.

I already felt like I was on thin ice with her because of our little row earlier, but if she found that I was keeping _this_ a secret from her…I didn't know how she would react.

"You alright, brother?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah," I replied hesitantly. She wouldn't find out, I convinced myself. Klaus would never get the coffins, so Miranda wouldn't find out.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I opened the door of the boarding house and raised an eyebrow contemptuously at the arrogant grin that spread across Klaus' face. He looked like the cat who got the cream. Smug bastard.

"Thanks for inviting me, love," he said with a smirk.

"Just get inside," I replied hostilely.

"Temper," he teased, but walked inside regardless. He waited until the door was closed to continue. "So…I take it that Christmas has come early. Have you news of Stefan?"

"Not exactly," I told him.

"Then you're wasting my time, Miranda," he replied coolly. "And you know how much I like my time to be wasted. I have more important things to take care of—"

"You wanted to make a deal with us, Klaus. To find Stefan. But I want to make a deal with you."

"For?"

"No," I shook my head. "You agree to my terms first and I promise that it'll be worth your while."

"Hmm." Klaus' smirk returned and he tilted his head in interest. "Do continue."

"You're going to give us some more time," I began hesitantly. "More time to find Stefan, more time to get the coffins back to you. And during that time, you won't send your hybrids after us; no threats, no…running us over with cars, and no werewolf bites." I added the last bit when I saw a dark glint in Klaus' eye.

"Alright, that sounds…reasonable," he said with some reluctance.

"I'm not done," I continued. "Even after you get your family back, you're going to uphold that promise to leave us alone, as well as promising protection from anyone who comes to Mystic Falls looking for trouble. Damon, Alaric, Elena, her brother and her friends, and me. We all want an end to this madness; I'm sure you do too."

"That's asking a little much, Miranda," Klaus laughed dryly. "I can't exactly protect all of you. You and your friends are trouble magnets, and as I've mentioned before, I have a lot of other things on my agenda."

"You'll find time," I told him. Klaus lifted a hand and rubbed his chin in thought.

"You run a hard bargain, sweetheart," he growled lightly. There was silence for a few minutes and he just stared at me, as if willing me to break, but I refused to break.

"This better be worth it," he finally said, earning a smirk from me.

"Follow me."

**Damon's POV**

I stood outside of Jeremy's bedroom while Elena talked to him. I had helped her clean up the mess on her porch after we brought Rick home from the hospital. Surrounded by all the blood, and having it staining her hands, she had a minor breakdown, she had wanted to talk to Jeremy and asked for a favor from me, for me to compel him. My specialty, as she had said.

"Damon?" Elena called to me. I entered Jeremy's room and the young Gilbert looked confused.

"What's going on?" Jeremy asked.

"Your sister thinks we should have one of our little talks," I replied.

"What? Elena?" Jeremy looked to his sister, but when he looked back at me, I caught his gaze.

"Here's the thing, Jer. You're gonna go out of town for a while—a long while. You're gonna stay with a nice couple in Denver; Emmaline and Will are Miranda's friends and when I called, they said that they'd be glad to have you stay with them. You're gonna go to a new school, meet new girls—living girls—you're gonna drink a few beers, take an art class. You'll get to do whatever you want…but you won't do anything to give Will and Em heart attacks."

I had first spoken with Miranda's old friends over the phone a few months ago when I accidentally picked up her phone. They were nice people, albeit a bit protective of Miranda, and when I had called to ask about Jeremy, it had taken me an hour to explain the situation. Emmaline was crying by the time I had finished, and she practically jumped to offer to give Jeremy a place to stay.

"Tell him he's gonna leave Mystic Falls behind and never think twice about it," Rick said from the doorway. I looked up at a teary-eyed Elena and she nodded.

"You're gonna leave Mystic Falls behind and never think twice about it," I repeated to Jeremy. "You're gonna have a better life, Jeremy."

Elena and I left the room once I made sure the compulsion had worked and she, Rick and I walked downstairs.

"Thank you," Elena muttered when we got downstairs. "I'm gonna go make some tea."

"What do you think Miranda's gonna say about this?" Rick asked when she was gone.

"According to Elena, she was all for it," I told him.

"You didn't talk to her?" Rick asked. "But Jeremy is staying with her friends."

"We had a little disagreement," I replied sheepishly.

"Over…"

"Stefan and Klaus and morals." I paused. "I might've called her stupid."

"Oh, damn," Rick hissed. "You screwed up."

"Yeah."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I opened the cellar door and Klaus frowned as he spotted Rebekah.

"My poor little sister," he muttered. He looked at me angrily. "Who did this?"

"Elena. But that doesn't matter," I told him. "You've already agreed to my terms; you're not going to renege on them now."

"Hmmm, true. A deal is a deal," he replied. "And Rebekah is definitely worth it; I can't turn my back on her for a moment."

"You know that if she goes after Elena, you'll have to stop her."

"I can control my sister, Miranda," Klaus deadpanned.

"Good."

"But you know that you'll still have to help me find Stefan," Klaus said, turning to look at me. "I'm giving you and your little friends more time. But if I notice that you're not getting any closer to finding him—"

"I'll take the blame," I told him. "Any and all punishment will go to me."

"I didn't take you for such a martyr," Klaus smirked.

"I care about my friends," I told him. "I don't turn my back on them either." Klaus' smirk widened.

"Loyalty," he said. "Elijah influenced you well."

"Yes, well…" Klaus knelt down and pulled the dagger from Rebekah's back; he looked up at me with a blank expression.

"You work so hard, Miranda," he said. "Sacrifice so much. Do your friends appreciate everything you do for them? Do they even _know_ what you do on their behalf?"

"I don't need gratitude," I told him. He stood up and smirked.

"Selfless little _Mira_," Klaus said, and my heart lurched at the nickname. "Always thinking of others. Her friends. Her family." He took a menacing step towards me, and I took a responding step back. "I've always considered you part of my family, Miranda."

"Have you?" I asked, unable to read him, yet still afraid of the way he was stalking towards me.

"Oh, yes," he nodded. "And as you know, I always take care of my family." He smirked and rushed at me, and then everything went dark.

**A/N: Update; a little later than I had hoped, but an update nonetheless! Anyways, there's a lot of turmoil in this chapter. This chapter also begins a series of them that are going to be game-changers for this story! I can't wait to finish editing so I can post them!**

** I don't want to make this Author's Note incredibly long, so I'm not going to, Thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited after the last chapter; I really appreciate all the feedback and encouragement. Reviews are always appreciated and they will get you a sneak peek of the next chapter, which should be posted around mid-week, or by next weekend at the latest. I promise. So review; questions, comments, concerns. Anything!**

**Until next time! **


	72. Lose Yourself

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Klaus' POV**

"Stubborn girl," I muttered, wincing as I pressed the back of my hand against the rapidly healing scratch marks on my cheek. I should've known Miranda would put up a fight; albeit, it wasn't much of one. She had fallen unconscious as soon as the compulsion took effect. I didn't think she'd react so…abnormally to my gift. I suppose it must've overwhelmed her. Now, I watched her, lying dead still where I placed her in her bed. She looked so innocent; so vulnerable. And, oh, how true that observation was; underneath that hard, brave exterior, she was just a broken, scared, lost little girl, just as she had been for as long as I had known her.

"Soon, sweetheart," I muttered, gently reaching out to push a lock of hair from her face. "Soon everything will fall into place, and you'll get _everything_ you've ever wished for. Once I get what _I_ want…you'll get what _you_ want. You and Rebekah will be best friends again, causing mischief; Elijah will fret over you like the mother hen that he is, and you and your love can live happily ever after for all of eternity."

I could faintly hear the front door of the Salvatore's home open and shut; I smirked and rushed back down to the cellar to get my sister and take my leave, completely undetected.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

The next morning, I woke up with a hangover-quality headache; I didn't even bother to open my eyes because I could feel the bright sun shining on my face already. God, what a night! I had been plagued with nightmares for the entire time I was asleep. I couldn't even remember what the nightmares were about…just that they were terrible and blood-filled. I'm surprised that I didn't wake up in a cold sweat whenever they got too gruesome.

I probably drank too much last night…that's it. Too much wine after my argument with Damon. Funny thing is, I don't even remember drinking either.

"He must be rubbing off on me," I muttered as I peeked an eye open, wincing at the bright sunlight. I rushed over to the window and pulled the drapes shut, cloaking the guest room in a soothing darkness. After letting myself enjoy the temporary relief, I looked down at myself an frowned; apparently, I had fallen asleep fully clothed…and covered in dirt? What…

"I need a shower…and coffee…and blood," I said aloud.

I took a few steps towards the en suite bathroom and stumbled as a wave of dizziness washed over me. I put a hand to my pounding head and groaned as the pain intensified.

_A small carriage sat on the cobblestone drive that led up to the manor house. I observed it apathetically, and then glanced at Elijah._

_ "You'll like our new home," he promised. "Just…keep an open mind."_

_ I didn't even like this home, because _this_ and wherever else we traveled to _wasn't_ my home. My home was gone. My family gone as well. And now I was left with poor substitutes._

With a groan, I shook my head and the dizziness stopped. Funny, I didn't usually blackout after drinking. Hell, I didn't usually drink enough to have a hangover.

"I'm sorry wine; I love you but no more," I muttered, and continued with my previous tasks.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I hadn't slept all night; I never had a good night's sleep without Miranda by my side. It was the biggest reason why I usually snuck over to her house when she decided she needed a night at home, alone, to take care of her responsibilities and little pet projects that she never got around to, with me distracting her so much, as she put it.

Taking a shower hadn't helped much; the initially cold water made me feel more alone, and as it warmed up, it reminded me that nothing could be warmer than Miranda's loving embrace. Thanks to my vampire senses, I could hear her rooting around the boarding house, and finished readying myself for the day in record time, the need to be close to her too great to ignore.

I rushed downstairs, but I stopped in my tracks as I sensed something…off. I hesitantly walked into the kitchen, but found myself in a disaster area. The counter was layered with empty blood bags, numerous bowls filled with batter of different consistencies, overturned bags of flour and sugar, and dozens of egg shells strewn everywhere. There was a frying pan on the stove, and it must've been left unattended for a while because the contents—which vaguely smelled like French toast—was black and burnt and emitting a smoke so thick and grey that I was surprised the smoke alarm wasn't going off.

And then I saw Miranda, standing by the sink, pouring herself a cup of coffee. I frowned, concerned, because she seemed so distant and deep in thought, as she stared out the window. Was she still so upset with me that she was this detached from reality? That she couldn't even function properly? I called her name softly, taking a hesitant step towards her, hoping to get her attention.

"Miranda," I repeated when she didn't answer, didn't respond in any way whatsoever. "I know that you're still sore about our argument…and I know that I was a real jerk…but please, don't ignore me."

She continued to stand there, pouring her coffee, unmoving.

"Miranda…" I was about to continue my pleas, when I noticed that the coffee, the _steaming hot_ coffee, began overflowing the rim of the mug, onto her hands and into the sink. I jumped at the sight and rushed over, pulling the carafe and the mug from her and dropping them into the sink immediately as they burned my hands; although the coffee must've burned her as it had me, Miranda hadn't moved an inch.

"Miranda!" I exclaimed, taking her blistered, though sluggishly healing, hands in mine and turned her to face me. She blinked a few times, the glazed look in her eyes disappearing, and then looked at me with confusion.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly. "What happened?"

"I don't know," I scoffed with worry. "I came downstairs and found…this!" I gestured about the kitchen and Miranda looked around, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What happened?"

"I was making breakfast," she muttered slowly, as if trying to recall. "French toast. But the batter never came out right. I had to try again…and again, and again, and again, and again, and—"

"Miranda!" I exclaimed again, pulling her out of the reverie that she was beginning to fall into again. She snapped her head in my direction and cleared her throat in apology. "What's wrong? You're not behaving like yourself."

"I don't know." She pulled her hand from mine and ran it through her hair with a sigh. "I...I'm sorry. I guess I'm not feeling too well."

"Not feeling well?" I asked. She was a vampire; how could she not be feeling well?

"I have a wicked headache," she continued. "Ever since I woke up, it's been pounding. Worse than any spell that Bonnie has ever used on us. I thought it was just a hangover—that the usual methods would make me feel better—but I don't even remember drinking last night."

"I must be rubbing off on you," I said softly, trying to distract her from her distress to the situation. Miranda gave me a small smile and I pulled her into my arms, hugging her tightly. "It's alright; we all have bad days."

"Yeah," Miranda breathed out. "Just a bad day."

"It'll get better," I tried to reassure her, pushing her away slightly so I could look her in the eye. "I promise."

I should've known better than to make promises.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

After Damon helped me finish breakfast and clean up the kitchen, he left me to my own devices, claiming that he wanted to check up on Rick. I had found it a little suspicious when he quickly declined when I offered to go with him, but I figured that he needed to have guy time. Fortunately, I left soon after Damon did, for a Historical Society meeting at Founder's Hall, so I wouldn't have to wander around the boarding house alone. There was going to be a fundraiser tonight and Carol Lockwood had named me head of the planning committee weeks ago.

With all of the drama going on, I had been neglecting my duties; I had been mostly delegating tasks and checking in over the phone, only briefly stopping by Founder's Hall every now and again to see what progress was being made. But I knew how important the fundraiser was, so I hoped to pull my act together for the cause. Wickery Bridge had been built before I had moved to Mystic Falls in 1862, and according to Carol, aside from a partial modernization in the late 60's, it had been neglected ever since, despite many much-needed repairs.

"Do you think that we'll reach our goal?" Michelle, one of the Society members, asked as we looked through a bunch of boxes of old paintings and sketches and photos. Carol had asked for us to find one drawn when the bridge was first built to put on display with the current picture and the concept model of the restorations.

"Well, there's an open bar, so as long as we get the guests drunk enough, we'll get the money in no time," I laughed in reply as I peeled layer upon layer of tissue from a stack of sketches.

"What I wouldn't give for a drink right now," she sighed. "If I have to see another portrait of some stuffy, founding family member, I think I'm going to shoot myself."

"I think I can say the same thing about their houses," I agreed. "I guess the founder's really liked keeping records of their belongings."

"Hey, the girl in this picture looks like you," Michelle said suddenly in awe. I frowned and looked over at her. I don't know how or why it had been in that box, but there, in Michelle's hand, was an old, Daguerreotype of me from the 1860's. I could remember the day it was taken. Giuseppe Salvatore had ordered the camera from New York to keep up with the trend that one of the other founders had started, and Damon had been eager to learn how to use it. After some reluctance on my part, he managed to get me to sit in the Salvatore's garden to pose for a photo.

"_Come on, Miranda," Damon pleaded. "It won't take long."_

Thankfully now, it had been a windy day and Damon took a while to figure out how the camera worked, so the photo was blurry and faded, so it wasn't outright apparent that the girl in the picture was me. But I knew.

I shook my head and took the picture from Michelle.

"You're crazy," I told her. "It looks nothing like me."

"It does!"

"It's blurry!" I argued with a forced laugh.

"But it looks like you!"

"But it obviously isn't me!" Michelle went to reach for the picture to put it back with the others, obviously appeased by my argument, but gasped and withdrew her hand immediately.

"Oh my God," she exclaimed.

"What?" I asked, looking down at the picture, despite the sudden taste of blood in my mouth. There was a pang of pain in my head as I saw the drops of blood staining the surface and marring the picture.

"You…" I looked back up at Michelle as she started talking. "Oh my God, Miranda. You're crying blood." I lifted a hand up to my eyes and wiped away the moisture I felt; I didn't believe her words until I saw the blood staining my fingers.

"We need to get her to the hospital," I faintly heard Michelle call to one of the others in the room.

"No," I exclaimed. "No hospital."

"But Miranda," Michelle began, "this isn't normal."

"I'll be fine." I snapped, but quickly composed myself at her shocked look. "Excuse me." I got up and walked as quickly as humanly possible to the bathroom. I locked the door behind me, to ensure that none of the women would follow me out of worry, and then went over to the row of sinks. The realism of the bloody tears didn't hit me fully until I saw my reflection, and at that point, the pain in my head worsened until it became as bad as the headache I had this morning when I woke up. My legs wobbled and gave out, but I caught myself on the marble counter before I could fall to the ground.

_One hand gripped the cold marble counter as Damon's lips moved frantically over mine. His hands tightened on my waist, causing me to sigh; something in my mind kept nagging that this was incredibly inappropriate, especially in such a public place._

I hesitantly let go of the counter with one hand and shakily wiped the tears away.

_He brushed his thumbs across my cheeks, wiping the tears away._

"_Someone as beautiful as you shouldn't have a reason to cry," he whispered gently._

"_Funny," I muttered. "I thought I'd run out of tears to cry." His brow furrowed with worry and his hands travelled down my face, my neck, my shoulders and my arms to take my hands. He lifted them up to his lips and kissed my knuckles._

"_I never wish to be the cause of your tears, ever again, my Lady," he whispered against them._

"_It was not your fault, Lucas," I shook my head. "It was my own."_

I looked down at my blood-stained hand and shuddered at the painful tingling in my head. It had felt…like a blur, like I was looking at the world through beer goggles for a few, short seconds. What the hell was going on with me?

There was a knock on the bathroom door and I jumped.

"Miranda?" A muffled voice came through the door. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," I replied, although I was far from alright.

"Can you unlock the door? You have everyone worried" I snatched a few tissues from the box on the counter and then walked over to the door to unlock it, hoping that the tissues would prevent any blood on my hands from staining the door. I backed away as the door opened and a timid-looking, but altogether unfamiliar, woman walked in. As soon as she laid eyes on me, she grabbed my arm and led me over to the sink.

"Have you had any head injuries recently?" she asked, taking my chin in her hand and tilting my head in various directions.

"No," I muttered.

"Any serious allergies?" The woman dabbed the tears with a tissue and then pulled my eyelids every which way.

"No."

"Are you…just getting over pink eye?"

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" I asked, backing away from the woman with distrust.

"Oh, I'm Meredith," she said, finally realizing the proximity, and put some space between us. "Erica Fell's niece?"

"Sure," I nodded, vaguely recalling Erica going on and on about her niece returning to Mystic Falls after finishing her residency in Richmond. "You're…a doctor, right?"

"I should've probably mentioned that before I started pushing you around and asking questions," she said sheepishly. "My aunt recruited me for this…fundraiser thing, and I was a little late arriving. Imagine my surprise when I got here and I found all of them in a hype about calling an ambulance or not."

"I told them I was fine," I muttered in irritation.

"You may feel fine but this…" she motioned towards me with her hands. "This is definitely strange. Has this ever happened to you before?"

"No," I shook my head. "Never."

"It might just be a fluke then," she sighed. "It looks like its stopping now."

"Good," I turned to the sink and proceeded to wash my face and hands.

"I'd like you to let me know if this happens again, though," she continued. "I've only read about things like these…and the cause can range from harmless to very serious."

"I don't think it's anything serious," I disagreed, looking up at her through the mirror, despite the fact that I was feeling quite shaken.

"Well, I'm going to be helping out with the fundraiser tonight," Meredith smiled encouragingly. "If you feel strange or lightheaded or…anything, please let me know." I nodded and smiled slightly.

"I've heard a lot about you from my aunt, Miranda," she continued. "It seems like a lot of people in town like you; it would be a terrible thing—for everyone—if something happened to you."

"It was very nice to meet you, Meredith," I said, drying my shaking hands. "Despite the circumstances. It'll be nice having someone else in the Historical Society who isn't…"

"Old? Nosy? Rude?" she supplied.

"I was going to say 'caterwaul-y,'" I laughed. "But those work too."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"Hey," I stopped in my tracks at the sound of Alaric's voice, and turned to face him. He quickly crossed the street and we continued towards Founder's Hall. "Where've you been, man? You haven't been answering your phone; did you get any of my calls?"

"No I haven't," I shrugged, falling back on the scenario Stefan and I had created in case anyone asked where we had been all day. Well, if they asked where _I _had been all day. "I've been on Stefan-search. Bad reception today, I guess."

After a long afternoon of coffin-sitting with Stefan, I finally managed to escape the stuffy confines of the abandoned witch's house to go to a Council meeting. This was my life now. The upside to this was the endless drinks that were consumed during Council meetings—and boy, did I need one—and the fundraiser thing that the Historical Society was holding once the meeting was over, where there would be more drinks, and, of course, Miranda.

Something had been nagging at me all day, since I left her at the boarding house. At first I thought it was worry after what had happened in the kitchen, but then I came to a realization. It was guilt. Stefan had made me promise not to tell her anything about the coffins—not to tell anyone—and it killed me to keep a secret from her.

"Still playing Klaus' lackey?" Rick guessed.

"Yeah."

"Well, at least you're here; that's why I called," Rick continued, believing my lie. "I would've stayed home, but with Elena spending the night with Caroline and Jeremy packing up his things to leave tomorrow, I figured that I would be less bored here, with the open bar at least."

"Shouldn't you be laying off the booze?" I questioned. "You know, with your recovery and what not?"

"Your blood patched me up plenty," he scoffed. "I'll be fine with one little drink…or five?"

"Sounds like a plan," I muttered in agreement.

"You know…there's something that I don't understand," Rick began. "I thought Stefan saved your life."

"He did," I nodded.

"And now he's willing to risk it and the lives of everybody he knows just to see how far he can push Klaus?"

"It seems so."

"So is his humanity on or off?"

"I think that there's another option at play," I told him. "A dimmer switch, which is a huge problem."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because we can't predict how far he's willing to go," I sighed. "He might get someone killed."

"Why do you care whether someone lives or dies?" Rick asked, apparently recalling my sudden snapping of his neck a few weeks ago.

"Because I do," I scoffed with a roll of my eyes. We stopped in front of Founder's Hall and Rick sighed at the fundraiser sign placed on an easel beside the doorway, and the numerous people who were flooding the building.

"Can't a Council meeting ever just be a Council meeting?" he asked.

"Sorry," I shrugged and clapped him on the shoulder.

"No?" he sighed again and I led him in. "Ok then."

"Gotta just get used to it."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I was not feeling very social tonight; when I should've been mingling with all of the guests, giving them a spiel about the history of the Wickery Bridge and why we needed donations, I was hiding in a corner of the room, drinking glass after glass of wine to numb the ache in my head, and letting all the other Society members do my job for me. Not that they weren't happy to do it; it seemed my little…event earlier had shaken them so much that they were treating me like a porcelain doll. Especially Carol, who was the only one in the Historical Society who knew that I was a vampire, and therefore, was doubly cautious about my momentary affliction.

I could still feel the blood staining my hands, though. I had been back to the bathroom numerous times throughout the night to wash them, but no matter how clean they got, or how pruney they got, it felt as though I could never get the blood off. And it scared me. This whole thing scared me. And yet…I felt…strangely disconnected to it all. Every sound, every sight, every sensation. They seemed to get further away with every second.

I shook my head and quickly drained my wine glass, then set off towards the bar to get another. My head began to throb as I set my glass down and waited for the bartender to open a new bottle, and I pinched the bridge of my nose, willing the ache away.

"It doesn't look like you're having much fun tonight, sweetheart." I closed my eyes and shook my head at the sound of Klaus' voice. "Where's your charitable spirit? It looks like you're in agony." I turned and glared at him and his stupid, smirking face.

"Everyone is in agony when you're around, Klaus," I said with a saccharine tone. "And, not only did I organize this fundraiser, I also gave a very generous donation."

"Probably not as generous as mine," he shrugged noncommittally. "I'm doubling all of the proceeds of the night. You know, get on the good side of the town; it is my new home sweet home, after all."

"Yes, I heard about your little…construction project," I sneered, sticking a fifty into the tip glass as the bartender poured me a new glass of wine. I then snatched it up and downed half of it. Chugging wine? Bad idea.

"Again with the hostility," Klaus scoffed. "After all that I've done for you. Not enjoying my gift?"

"Gift?" I frowned. "What gift?"

"Oh, come now, love," he laughed. "Don't pretend that you aren't grateful."

"Grateful for what?" I paused as he smirked, and dread washed over me. He turned on his heel, about to walk away, but I grabbed his hand to pull him back. As soon as I touched him though, memories of the last night flashed through my mind. My call to him, our deal, and the struggle I put up as he tried to compel me…and then they just…stopped as the world went black, leaving an excruciating pain in their wake.

"What did you do to me?" I hissed.

"Absolutely nothing," he shrugged, as though he had no idea of what I was talking about.

"What did you do to me, Klaus?" I practically growled.

"I made you all better again," he smirked. I didn't know what to make of that, and the power of his words hit me so hard, I was forced to take a few steps back.

"I'd rather you didn't make a habit of harassing my girlfriend," Damon said, slipping an arm protectively around my waist as he joined us. He glared at Klaus for a moment. "Nice vest."

"Good to see you too, Damon," Klaus greeted in reply. "Miranda and I were just having a little discussion."

"About?" Damon raised an eyebrow cautiously.

"I'm afraid that's between her and I," Klaus replied. I could practically feel Damon seething beside me. Klaus then raised his glass to us and began to leave. "Have a lovely evening." Once he was out of earshot, Damon pulled me in front of him and began looking me over.

"What are you doing?" I asked, unsure of what was going on.

"I want to make sure he didn't bite you or anything," he hissed angrily.

"He didn't do anything," I told him, wincing internally at the fact that I wasn't entirely sure that the statement was true. "We were just talking; I promise."

"I just don't trust him," Damon sighed.

"Do you trust me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Inexplicably so," he said, cupping my cheek and caressing it with his thumb. "But I don't want anything to happen to you."

I quickly pushed down the feeling that something already had.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

As soon as the scent of mildew and formaldehyde hit my nose, I knew that my brother was somewhere in Founder's Hall. I quickly excused myself as Miranda was talking with Carol about an upcoming Society project, and followed the scent. Stefan was being very careless today; first he went and paid Klaus a visit to threaten him into leaving town with his hybrids in tow, and now he was lurking around, probably itching to cause trouble.

"Idiot," I muttered to myself. And, to be honest, he was an idiot. With his emotions on standby, he was getting himself into dangerous situations, and when he did that, he jeopardized the safety of everyone we knew. Hell, he jeopardized everyone in town. Sometimes, I wished that our father was still around and could see that _I _made something of my life and his favorite Stefan was being a dumb, screw-up.

I quickly returned focus to the task at hand as the smell of blood hit me, and I rushed upstairs only to find Stefan standing over Klaus' hybrid attendee for the night, with a bloody carving knife in his hand, ready to cut his head off. I grabbed Stefan and rushed into the nearest room.

"What are you doing?" Stefan hissed.

"What are _you_ doing?" I snapped right back. "I don't think a dead hybrid would be welcome at a Founder's party."

"I told Klaus to get his hybrids out of town," Stefan began. "He didn't listen, so I'm gonna say it louder."

"Don't you think that Klaus came prepared?" I exclaimed. "That there are ten more hybrids lurking around somewhere? And if you kill them, Klaus won't make 20 more?"

"That won't stop me," Stefan scoffed.

"Have you forgotten Elena's part in all of this?" I asked. "Or do you not care if she's a human blood back for the rest of her life?"

"I'm not compelled by Klaus to watch over Elena anymore," Stefan replied. "That's your problem now."

"No," I grabbed him by his jacket and pushed him into the wall. "Don't give me that no-humanity crap; you can't just flip your switch whenever you want! Your switch is fried, Stefan, just like your brain! You want to take Klaus? You want to beat the villain? You've got to be smarter than that."

"To beat the villain, Damon," Stefan began with a smirk, pushing me away from him. "You've got to be the better villain." In a flash, he disappeared, and I sighed. I walked out into the hall and over to the dazed hybrid that was slowly healing.

"Come on, buddy," I clapped him on the shoulder. "Your boss isn't gonna be happy when he finds out you just got your ass handed to you."

"He came out of nowhere," the hybrid hissed in pain as I hauled him to his feet.

"Hey," I shrugged. "I won't tell if you won't." He eyed me suspiciously, but eventually nodded. Normally, I would've been completely game with tearing one of those damn hybrids apart—imagine Klaus' head on their bodies and it's easy—but I knew I had to cover Stefan's tracks if we were going to double cross Klaus.

"Yeah," he muttered. "Thanks."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

As the party began to die down, I realized that I had forgotten all about Caroline's birthday. I could imagine her present sitting on the kitchen counter at my house, all wrapped up in a pretty box with a bow, card tucked neatly under the ribbon, and I felt incredibly stupid and guilty.

I quickly pulled my phone from my purse to call her and wish her a happy birthday—hopefully not interrupting the little celebration Matt, Elena and Bonnie had been planning for her—but the call went straight to voicemail.

"Strange," I muttered, and tried again…only for it to go straight back to voicemail.

"What?" Damon asked from his spot beside me, where he was drinking and people-watching.

"Caroline's not answering her phone," I told him, unable to hide the worry in my voice.

"Oh, stop smothering them," he scoffed. "They're probably getting wasted and stuffing their faces with cake. Let them be teenagers." I mock glared at him, but he wrapped an arm around my waist to pull me closer, and then kissed the top of my head.

Was their party _that _good? If it were Caroline planning it, I would say yes—that girl had an attention to detail that was astounding—but I didn't want to brush off Elena and Bonnie's abilities either, just because they hadn't had much of a chance for parties with all the drama in town. But something just nagged inside of me and I decided to try Elena, to be sure.

I listened as it rang…and rang…and rang, and I was about to end the call, taking Damon's assumptions about the kids partying to be true, when someone answered.

"Hello Miranda," Stefan greeted coldly. "Elena can't come to the phone right now; she's a little busy."

"Stefan?" I frowned and looked up at Damon, who suddenly looked alarmed. "Why do have Elena's phone?"

"Give it to me," Damon said, reaching to grab the phone, but I pushed him away and rushed to one of the unused rooms of Founder's Hall for privacy. Of course, Damon was hot on my trail, still trying to get me to give the phone to him.

"I'm making a move," Stefan replied. "Something Damon said earlier tonight struck me, and after some soul-searching, I figured out what I had to do in order to get Klaus out of town." What? When did he talk to Damon?

"Don't do anything, stupid, Stefan," I warned, trying to hide the fear from my voice.

"Oh, but what I'm doing is very, very smart," he laughed. "Let me ask you something…what will Klaus do if he can't make anymore hybrids?" I could hear Elena yelp in the background and I froze in fear, giving Damon enough time to snatch the phone from me.

"Stefan, leave her out of this!" he exclaimed, then threw the phone to the ground in a fury. "Damn it!" He looked up at me and I rolled my eyes, and then hastened out of the room to find Klaus. Funny; Klaus seemed to be the cause of _all_ of our problems, but he was the solution as well.

I found him chatting away with a few of the women from the Historical Society, and I quickly grabbed him and excused myself, before pulling him back to where I left Damon.

"You know, you've just pulled me away from a fascinating conversation about landscaping," Klaus said sarcastically.

"Stefan just grabbed Elena," Damon said, cutting to the chase.

"Well, he seems to be desperate," Klaus replied, obviously lacking interest. "He knows he's losing and wants to use cheap tricks to get his way."

"If killing Elena is a cheap trick, then it looks like he's got a good plan to win," I deadpanned.

"What?" Klaus scoffed. "Stefan would never dream of killing her."

"You sure about that?" Damon asked. "He just tried to behead someone in the middle of a Founder's party. He's operating on crazy right now."

"Well, crazy or not, that kind of love never dies," Klaus replied. "He's bluffing."

"Are you willing to take that chance?" I asked.

"Yes," he nodded righteously.

"Then can I remind you of our deal?" I continued with a bittersweet smile.

"Right," he sighed in annoyance. "The deal."

"What deal?" Damon asked, frowning. Klaus' mood seemed to improve just a little bit as he glanced at me and smirked.

"Keeping secrets, love?" he asked.

"Don't," I warned. Klaus ignored it and then turned to Damon.

"The deal she made with me last night," Klaus told him arrogantly. "One where I protect you and your friends in perpetuity in exchange for Rebekah's body."

"What?" Damon exclaimed, his gaze darting over to me. "You let him have Rebekah?"

"I wouldn't be so outraged by it," Klaus interjected, "because now our favorite doppelganger is going to stay alive…for now. Excuse me while I make a call." He skirted out of the room and shut the door behind him.

"You made a deal with him and you didn't tell me?" he exclaimed furiously once we were alone.

"Oh please," I scoffed. "You're angry about my keeping a secret from you? What a load of bullshit! When were you going to tell me about your little secret encounter with Stefan?"

"I just happened to find him, about to kill a hybrid, earlier tonight," he quickly replied.

"Don't lie to me," I snapped. "You might have _way_ too much cologne on, but the scent of dead leaves isn't masked so easily."

"Fine!" Damon hissed. "I lied to you; I kept a secret from you. I was with Stefan all afternoon, trying to decide how to get Klaus out of town, how to keep him from finding the coffins. But I did it to keep you safe! What about your secret deal with Klaus? Once Rebekah is undaggered, she'll kill Elena. How is he going to protect her then?"

"I didn't lie to you; I was going to tell you!" I said.

"When?" Damon asked.

"This morning."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because I forgot!" I exclaimed.

"How could you forget something as big as that?" Damon asked, with his eyebrows raised in question. I must've looked like a fish out of water with the number of times that my mouth opened and closed.

"I…" I didn't know what to say. How _could_ I forget that? Why was I losing moments here and there throughout the day in a hazy blur? Why had I been crying blood? The only logical answer was Klaus; he had done something, had compelled me to do something, to behave in such a way. And the thought made me feel sick to my stomach; it made my head ache ever so much more.

"I…I'm going to go home," I finally said, weakly, unable to fight with him anymore.

"What?" he asked, anger dissipating instantly, obviously from confusion.

"I don't…I'm going home to just…be alone for a while." I told him. I ran a hand through my hair in a defeated manner.

"I don't understand," Damon frowned in concern. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I waved him off and turned to leave.

"Let me drive you to the boarding house," he offered. "If you aren't feeling good—"

"I said I'm fine!" I snapped at him, then calmed instantly "And I'm not going to the boarding house; I'm going to my house."

"Oh."

"Can you find Elena and make sure she gets home safely?" I asked.

"Yeah," Damon breathed. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," I repeated, wincing as a tear trickled out from the corner of my eye and the scent of blood hit my nose. I quickly wiped the tear away and left.

* * *

The rest of the night was…practically nonexistent. One minute I was walking out of Founder's Hall and across the town square to get to my car… and the next…I was in bed, flipping channels with disinterest. I didn't remember driving home, I didn't remember changing into my pajamas, and I didn't remember climbing into bed with a mug of hot tea and turning on the television. Not to mention that I was suddenly hit with a massive wave of loneliness, even though I had wanted to be alone. This feeling was on a bigger scale; it felt like…I was the only person around for miles, and that I hadn't spoken to anyone in years. I felt alone, I felt lost and I felt afraid.

"Get a grip, Miranda," I muttered as I took a sip of my tea. Nice, soothing, calming tea. That was it; I needed to calm down. I needed to clear my head. All of this drama and nonsense…was taxing on a person's subconscious. Whatever Klaus had done to me was just going to have to wait; I could fight it. We had seen compulsion be resisted before, by Caroline's father. I was strong enough to fight it. I just needed to clear my head and then I would be able to fight it.

I put my mug down and fell back against the pillows with a yawn.

"Tomorrow morning," I muttered. "Tomorrow I'll have a clear head, and all of this nonsense will be gone."

I didn't know how wrong I was…

**A/N: Finally, I have another chapter to post. It's been a while, but I've just finished writing and editing the next 6 chapters of this story in a massive literary frenzy after a night of tearful heartbreak, so you can expect this story to be updated a little more frequently, for a while, at least. Hopefully, in the time that it takes me to post these, I'll be writing more, and I'll be able to keep posting chapters on a regular basis.**

**Anyways, let's take a moment to analyze this chapter! What is going on in Mystic Falls? What did Klaus compel Miranda to do—or **_**not**_** to do? And why is she reacting in such a way? Why is this chapter called "Lose Yourself?" We'll find out soon enough. *evil wink***

**And that's it. Reviews are always appreciated and they will get you a sneak peek of the next chapter, which should be posted around…well, soon. Maybe Saturday…or Sunday? I'm not working, unless they call me in to sub for someone. I promise I'll try. So review; questions, comments, concerns. Anything!**

**Until next time!**


	73. A Clear Mind

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Miranda's POV**

My phone startled me awake the next morning with its shrill ringing. I had practically fallen off the bed as I heard it, my heart racing a thousand miles per hour in my chest as I jumped in fear. Luckily, I caught myself on the edge of the mattress before I hit the ground.

"Damn," I muttered as I stared at the floor just inches from my face. I pulled myself back onto the bed and grabbed my phone from the nightstand. I didn't even bother to see who was calling; I just pulled the battery out and tossed it into the corner of the room. I had been tossing and turning all night, thanks to the nightmares that had plagued me for as long as I could remember, and when I finally drift off into a dreamless slumber the phone wakes me up! "Can't a girl get a decent night's sleep without a single distraction?" I asked myself.

A car horn sounded from outside and I scowled.

It was as if it was answering my question with a solid "no" that dared to be defied.

"I might as well get up since the world is so adamant about my perpetual lack of sleep." I hauled myself out of bed, and instantly regretted opening the curtains to let the sunlight into the room.

"Note to self: stop drinking so much wine," I grumbled, making my way down to the kitchen for coffee.

And maybe some orange juice…with just a splash of vodka?

No, I decided as soon as I set foot downstairs and found that I had left all the curtains open when I went to bed, sunlight streaming through all the windows; better stick with the coffee. I did buy this house for the abundance of windows and the quiet neighborhood, after all.

There was another car horn outside and I cringed.

"Maybe I should sell this place," I muttered to myself in jest.

I scowled at the clutter that littered the island countertop as I entered the kitchen and began to make a fresh pot of coffee. Stacks of books with post-its sticking out of the edges, an old filofax which was bursting at the seams, and an array of old pictures that needed to be organized.

"Note to self: buy some photo albums when you get the chance."

I tried turning my attention back to the coffee machine, but I spotted a big, gaudily-wrapped gift box sitting on the counter among the clutter. I fingered the card labeled "Caroline" in huge, curly handwriting and frowned.

I shook my head, deciding to focus on one thing at a time, and went back to the coffee. Filter, water, grounds…hmm…it looked like I needed to get more beans. And more cream.

Note to self…

"Miranda." I jumped, shrieking slightly, at the unexpected, unfamiliar voice that echoed throughout the kitchen. I turned on my heel and stared, wide-eyed, at the man standing in the doorway. "There you are; I was worried."

I took a step backwards instinctively as he started towards me, the counter digging into my back as I hit it. I glanced beside me and quickly pulled a knife out of the cutting block, and then I turned back to the stranger, holding the knife out in a defensive manner.

"Stay back," I stammered. The man frowned, his crystal blue eyes filled with confusion; he ran a hand through his hair and then took another step towards me. "I told you to stay back!" I shouted at him, trying to hide the fear in my voice as best I could.

Who was this guy, and how the hell did he get into my house?

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I was beginning to get envious of the unsuspecting humans who lived in Mystic Falls; their lives must be so uneventful, so…peaceful, that they get bored. You see, I never get bored; I'm always running around, dealing with every single supernatural problem in town. This morning was no different.

It had started out peacefully—well, as peacefully as it could, considering that I had been up most of the night worrying about Miranda—and then I got a call from Liz to meet her in the woods. Some hikers had found the medical examiner in the woods, murdered. At first, I had been confused; why was this _my_ problem? Turns out, someone staked him in the chest as if trying to kill a vampire, but he was most definitely human. Now, not only do we have a murderer roaming around Mystic Falls, but it's someone who knows how to take out vampires? Great. Just great.

Once the crime scene was cleaned up, I figured I was free to go, but Liz had to recruit me for a little side project that she had started in the wee hours of the morning for Bonnie. Apparently, she was looking for her long lost mother, and needed to get the information of every Abby Bennett in the country—addresses, telephone numbers, pictures—and since it had something to do with witches, Klaus and those damn coffins, Liz didn't want to leave the search to her incompetent deputies.

Ok, maybe she didn't call them incompetent, but if she was asking me for help with something that could probably be found with Google, it had to be top secret, right? After an hour, and _a lot _of compelling at the town records office, I had what I needed and I drove to the Gilbert house, where Elena and Bonnie had set up camp in their witch hunt.

Witch hunt. Hah. Didn't even realize the pun I made there. Yep, I'm that good.

"…I was bound to see my mother again sooner or later," I overheard Bonnie say as I walked into the house.

"Sooner," I said, gaining their attention. I held up the folder I had gotten from the records office. "Abby Bennett Wilson. Monroe, North Carolina. Born in Mystic Falls Hospital, graduated Mystic Falls High…blah, blah, blah." I gave the folder to Bonnie, who immediately flipped through it.

"This is her," she muttered in awe.

"Yep," I smirked. "Road trip. Pack a bag, I'll grab Miranda and we'll be on the road in no time."

"Yeah…no," Elena shook her head and looked up at me.

"What?" I raised an eyebrow.

"You and Miranda aren't coming," she continued.

"Why not? You might need backup," I told her, crossing my arms over my chest. Elena got up from her chair and looked me in the eye.

"Bonnie hasn't seen her mom in over 15 years," Elena began. "As safe as it is to have two vampires around for protection, we don't need your snarky commentary narrating the experience."

"Please," I scoffed. "That's the reason? Will you let me go if I'll promise to keep my mouth shut?"

"No," Elena replied in an unconvinced tone. I glared at her for a long time before turning on my heel to leave.

"Fine," I said shortly. "Have a great trip. Don't call me if you find trouble, and that includes running out of gas."

"Don't worry," Bonnie called after me. "We won't."

I left and walked across the street, somewhat relieved. There were other problems that needed attention here in town. The first being Stefan and the coffins, the second being the murderer.

I sprinted up the steps of Miranda's house and tried the door. Locked. Weird, she usually left the door unlocked when she was home, and she _was_ home because her car was in the driveway. I felt my pockets for the key she had given me, but I groaned when I remembered that I had left it back at the boarding house. I tried the doorbell a few times with no luck, and then knocked heavily on the door. I didn't want to break in, as I usually did, because I didn't want her to be angrier than she probably already was with me, thanks to our argument at the fundraiser last night.

"Miranda!" I called, hoping she would hear. "Miranda!" When there was no answer, and no sound of movement coming from inside, I tried calling her. I could hear it ringing faintly from the bedroom, but it went to voicemail. I rushed across the street to my car, reached through the window and hit the horn—once, twice—hoping that she would, at least, look outside. No luck.

Was she ignoring me?

"Screw it," I muttered, crossing the street again. I twisted the door knob until I heard a metallic popping sound, and then opened the door. From the doorway, I could see Miranda moving around in the kitchen, pulling things out of the cabinets and the refrigerator.

"Miranda," I said as I walked into the kitchen. She jumped in surprise and turned around to face me with wide eyes. She looked incredibly tired, and I instantly regretted the racket I had made and the way I had startled her. "There you are; I was worried."

I took a step towards her and, in a flash, she was backed against the kitchen counter, holding a knife towards me with both hands.

"Stay back," she said in a shaky voice. I frowned, confused, and took another step closer. "I told you to stay back!" Was I missing something? What was going on?

"Oh," I exclaimed as realization hit me. "Ok, I get it. You're good."

"How did you get into my house?" she asked.

"You're really good," I smirked. "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting this, but I like it. Role-play. Got it." I rushed across the room so I was right in front of her, pinning her hands to the counter, effectively making her drop the knife, as she shrieked in surprise. As I leaned down to capture her lips, I noticed how real the fear in her eyes looked. She even struggled against the kiss. She was really good at this.

Unfortunately, as I let go of one of her hands to cup her cheek, she was able to get a punch to my gut. I backed away from her and into the island counter in surprise, winded from the punch; maybe she wasn't as good at this as I had originally thought. She stared at me in shock for a second, and then took off running out of the kitchen and towards the front door.

I rushed after her and grabbed her by the waist, pinning her against the door; I was sure this time not to let her have too much mobility, or she might try to hit me again.

"Please, let me go," she pleaded. "Please."

"Mmm, no," I cooed menacingly. "I'm never gonna let you go."

"Please," she said weakly. I was about to continue with our game when she began sobbing. I loosened my grip on her slightly, worried that I had been too rough or something, but she didn't stop.

"Miranda," I began, doing away with the game altogether. "Miranda, it's ok. You can stop crying now. I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"Let me go," she thrashed against me weakly. "Please."

"Calm down," I tried to soothe her. "Calm down. Stop crying." Her knees gave out and I caught her and sat on the floor, pulling her into my lap gently, afraid to hurt her again. Eventually she tired herself out and she stopped sobbing, but I could still feel her tears soaking into my shirt as her head fell against my shoulder. "That's better," I muttered, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

"Why are you being so nice to me now?" she asked softly.

"I'm sorry," I replied. "I'm sorry for our argument last night and for hurting you this morning."

"If you're so sorry, why did you do it in the first place?" she asked, pushing herself away from me. "Why did you attack me?"

"Attack you?" Wait…what? "Miranda, I didn't attack you. It was just a game; you're the one who started it."

"I…I started it?" She got out of my arms and stood up, looking down at me angrily. "How is it that _I_ started it when _you_ broke into _my _house?"

"Broke into…what are you talking about?" I asked, getting to my feet as well. "I always do that when you leave the door locked."

"What do you mean, always?" she exclaimed. "You've been inside my house before?"

"Of course I've been here before!" I scoffed. Miranda stared at me with wide, alarmed eyes.

"Who the hell are you?" she muttered.

"What do you mean, who am I?" I asked.

"Who. Are. You?"

"Um…Damon? Your boyfriend? The one person who loves you more than life itself, who you love the same in return?" I deadpanned.

"My boyfriend?" she asked. "I don't have a boyfriend."

"So what? You just…forgot all about me?" I scoffed, but at the blank look on her face, my heart dropped into my stomach. "Don't tell me that you forgot all about me."

"I've never met you before in my life," she said.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"No." He shook his head and closed the space between us, grabbing my head in his hands; I stiffened in fear. "No, no, no, no. It's me. It's Damon. Don't look at me like you don't know who I am. Don't tell me that you've forgotten all about me. Please."

"I'm sorry," I muttered.

"But you must have mistaken me for someone else.""No, you're Miranda. _My_ Miranda," he practically pleaded. "We met in 1862; you were my best friend, the love of my life! I was going to ask you to marry me. We've been through so much together. How could you have forgotten?"

My first instinct told me to call the police; that this Damon guy was some mental patient on the loose from the hospital or something. I mean…1862? Talk about delusional. But the way he sounded so…heartbroken, so sad, it made me want to trust him, have faith in his words. It made me want to believe him. Maybe…maybe I met him before? He did know my name, after all.

I carefully placed my hands on his and removed them from my face, squeezing them tightly as I did.

"Listen," I began cautiously. "You may think that you know who I am, but I just moved into town a few days ago. I haven't even left my house, so I don't know anybody yet. You _must_ have me mistaken with somebody else." He looked pensive for a few long moments before speaking again, his voice utterly calm.

"Fine," he said. "I'll leave, and I won't bother you ever again. But you have to do one thing for me. You have to think—think really, really hard—about your life. Is there anything that seems strange? Any long periods of time that you can't remember? Any people that you know, but you don't know where or how you met them? This necklace," he said, carefully touching the silver skeleton key dangling from my neck. "Where did you get it? You said you just moved in? Why aren't there any boxes here? Everything looks so…lived in already. Why?""I don't…" I began, but he cut me off immediately.

"Can you feel it? Something seems off, but that little voice in your head is telling you to ignore it. Don't. Deep down, you know that I'm right. Right about everything I just said. You just need to accept it."

I concentrated, ignoring the little voice as I dug further through my memories. The first thing I noticed was that there weren't too many of them. I had parents, an older brother, aunts and uncles and cousins, but I couldn't remember their names or what they looked like. There was a car in my driveway, but I didn't know how to drive—didn't I—and I lived alone, so it couldn't have been anyone else's. He was right; everything about my house felt lived in. How? And where had I been living before Mystic Falls? I could feel my eyes sting with tears.

"You can't be right," I muttered. "This can't be real. How can this be real?"

"Because of Klaus," Damon growled. "He must've compelled you to forget." I didn't know any Klaus. Or maybe I did? And I just…forgot?

"Can you make this better?" I asked. "Help me remember?" I looked up at Damon and felt hot tears dripping down my cheeks. He was looking at me with a shocked expression and I frowned. "What is it?"

"You're crying blood," he replied. He cautiously touched my cheek and held his fingers before my eyes, showing me that they were stained with blood.

And then I remembered…

…that I couldn't stand the sight of blood.

The world went black as I passed out.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

"I hate this place," I muttered as I paced back and forth, distantly thinking I was going to wear a hole in the floor if I kept it up, but I was too worried to stop.

I had caught her when she collapsed, my mind reeling with panic and hatred, hatred towards Klaus. He had to be behind this; I was sure of it! But with one look down at Miranda's still form, the hatred took second chair to the panic. What could I do? What would make her better? Could she have been bitten by one of the hybrids? Had Klaus ordered one of his lackeys to do this to her, just as he had told Tyler to bite Caroline? No, she had been acting strangely since yesterday morning; if it was a bite, she would be on the brink of death by now. What was it then?

I took her to the one place where she might get some help. Mystic Falls Hospital.

Yeah, I know. What could human doctors possibly do for a 750-year old vampire? Nothing. Unless said human doctor that was taking care of Miranda was one Meredith Fell, aka Alaric's doctor, aka Mr. Dead Medical Examiner's "psycho" ex, according to Rick. I figured that it wouldn't hurt to get some inside information on her, possibly to solidify her spot as the prime suspect of the medical examiner's murder.

Did it make me a bad boyfriend, doing recon while my girlfriend was…sick? Possibly dying? The way I see it, Miranda would be proud of me for doing some "super sleuthing" when I had the opportunity. She would've done the same thing. And it wasn't as if I wasn't worried about her, because I was. Oh, I was.

Finally, the door to the examination room Miranda had been taken to, opened, and Dr. Fell walked out. I spotted a conscious Miranda sitting on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest as she stared sadly at the floor. My heart broke at the sight of her looking so…fragile and helpless.

The door closed and I turned my attention to Dr. Fell. She was looking down at the chart in her hands with a frown on her face.

"How is she?" I asked immediately. "What happened to her? Is she ok now?" She took me by the arm and led me to an empty room for privacy, and then closed the door behind us.

"Has Miranda had any recent head injuries?" Dr. Fell asked after a few seconds.

"No."

"Has she witnessed or experienced any traumatic events?" I rolled my eyes internally; define traumatic.

"No. Why?" I asked.

"Did you know that she was crying blood yesterday, Mr. Salvatore?" she asked. "At the Historical Society meeting?"

"No, I didn't." I replied.

"Well she did. I was there, and I went to go check up on her; Miranda seemed perfectly fine, health wise. And she still does. Blood pressure, body temperature, reflexes. I took some blood to run a few tests, but I'm sure they'll come back fine." Meredith pulled a few vials of blood from her pocket and showed them to me. I frowned in suspicion; she had taken Miranda's blood? Well...of course, this was a hospital. I'm sure she didn't suspect Miranda of being a vampire; she was just doing her job. I didn't notice the slight increase in Meredith's heart rate as she continued talking.

"The reason I'm worried is because...well…she doesn't remember being at the fundraiser, or meeting me. She doesn't seem to recall any detailed personal information—family members, friends…anything. Her mannerisms are different, she seems more withdrawn, but that's probably because she's realizing that something is wrong with her. Professionalism aside, talking with Miranda now feels like I'm talking to an entirely different person.

"The reason I asked about the traumatic events is because I believe that Miranda is suffering from a fugue state. It's a rare psychiatric disorder caused by an incredibly stressful psychological trauma, that usually causes memory loss, and, in some cases, assumption of a new identity, or even the absence of one."

"So she has amnesia?" I asked.

"No," Meredith shook her head. "Amnesia is commonly caused by physical damage to the brain. Illnesses, injuries, substance abuse. Dissociative fugues are created by the patients' themselves, by their subconscious, to protect them from the traumas they have experienced."

"What?" I narrowed my eyes. "So…you're saying that Miranda did this to herself."

"Yes," she nodded.

"Why?"

"Only Miranda would know why," Meredith replied. "But she doesn't now. She might never know." I didn't understand; how could she have done this to herself? Why? What happened to her that made her…made her do this to herself? I didn't believe it. I _couldn't_ believe it. Klaus must've done this to her. He must've compelled her to forget, compelled her to become someone else.

"Well…how does she get back to normal?" I asked.

"Time," Meredith sighed. "She might remember everything today, and she might remember next week, or even next year."

She didn't continue, but I had a feeling of what she might've said next, and it was heartbreaking.

She might never remember.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"I hate this place," I said aloud in the empty examination room. I did hate this place. It smelled…too clean. Too sterile.

I'd never been sick in my life—No. Scratch that. Maybe I'd been sick before; I just didn't remember—so waking up in the pristine, white hospital room had scared the hell out of me. I had been grateful when Dr. Fell—Meredith as she insisted I call her—walked in, because that meant that I wasn't alone somewhere. But as she began running tests and asking me questions, the relief of being somewhere strange had disappeared, and it was replaced by anger and fear…and such an intense sadness that I felt on the brink of tears.

Remembering the blood that Damon had shown me back at my house made me stop myself from crying, though.

The doubt Damon had instilled in me earlier had only intensified when Meredith had begun to ask me questions. She asked me about thing that I didn't recognize, about people that I had no idea of who they were. She tried convincing me that I was part of something called the "Historical Society," that I had organized a fundraiser that had taken place yesterday. She even told me that she knew for a fact that my name was "Miranda _Avery_" when I had told her my last name was "Thornton."

She left the room after some time and I was alone and afraid. Was I really someone completely different from who I thought I was? Did I really know people that I never met before in my life? My mind was a jumble of questions that had no answers, and I just wanted for them to stop. I wanted some peace and quiet.

A knock on the door broke me from my reverie, and I looked over as it opened and Damon walked in.

Damon. Damon Salvatore. My "boyfriend."

God, I wished that I could remember him. He seemed…nice, caring…despite the little confusion earlier this morning. I wished that he could kiss me, like some Prince Charming in a story book, and that I would remember everything that I had forgotten. Even if I just remembered him and who he was and who he was _to me_ beyond the word "boyfriend" so I wouldn't have to feel so alone.

"Dr. Fell said that you could go home," he said gently, sadly. "She figured that, even if you didn't want me to, I should take you home. You might not remember how to get there. Or even have a way to get there, considering that I brought you here."

"I…" I paused and Damon frowned. "I'd like that."

"Great," he sighed in relief. "Let's go." He was about to turn and leave, but I stopped him.

"Damon?" I called. "Could you…could you come here?" He frowned and stepped back into the room. I waved him closer and closer with every step he took, and when I felt he was close enough, I stood up from the bed and took a step towards him.

God, he was tall. Then again, I was wearing flats. (Note to self: stop wearing flats so much.) Despite looking so…confident and powerful, there was an air of sadness surrounding him, and it crushed me to know that I was the cause of it; I didn't want to be the cause of anyone's pain. And to know that he meant so much to me…well, the other me…the real me…made that feeling intensify.

I carefully wound my arms around his waist and pulled myself against him, resting my head on his chest. I could feel him stiffen in shock, but he eventually, cautiously, put his arms around me in return.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"Don't—"

"No." I cut him off. "I wish…I wish that none of this had happened, but it did. And it's my fault. So I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused. I'm sorry for hurting you." I closed my eyes and tightened my hold on him, listening to his steady, calming heartbeat. I vaguely wondered if I had ever fallen asleep, curled up in his arms, listening to his heart beat so strongly.

The thought brought tears to my eyes, but I held them back with every ounce of will that I could.

"It's alright," Damon whispered, pressing a kiss into my hair. "Everything will be alright. I promise."

* * *

"What are we doing here?" I asked as I followed Damon up the stairs of the apartment building, anxiously clutching the large, brown paper bag marked "Mystic Grill" in my hand tightly.

"Visiting an old friend," he replied. "Don't worry. You can eat when we get there."

Despite my earlier agreement of letting Damon take me home, we made a detour along the way thanks to my traitorous stomach that growled rather ravenously as we got to Damon's car. What can I say? I had missed out on breakfast that morning, and it was practically lunch time.

That didn't explain, though, why he had the sudden inspiration after we left the Grill with our food, to lead me across the town square to a row of apartment buildings down the street from City Hall. As much as visiting someone who I might've known excited me a little bit, I was still wary. It was barely noon and I'd already had such a long, emotionally exhausting day; what I really wanted was to go home, eat, and just…watch a movie or read a book.

We finally reached a door with a shining brass "9" and Damon knocked impatiently.

"Come on Rick," he called after a few minutes with no answer. "I know you're home." The door swung open revealing a man in sweaty workout clothes.

"What are you two doing here?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow lazily.

"Lunch," Damon told him simply, then looked at me. "Miranda, this is our friend Rick. He's a history teacher by day, alcoholic by night…and by day too, I guess. He has issues." He gently put his hand on my back and led me into the apartment and to the small dining table sat up near the kitchen.

"I'm also an Aquarius," Rick said, voice laden with sarcasm. "Why are you telling her things she already knows?"

"Because she doesn't," Damon replied.

"What?" Rick exclaimed. "What are you talking about?" Damon rolled his eyes and then walked into the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge and the cabinets, pulling various things out and placing them on the counter.

"She doesn't remember anything about her life," he told Rick.

"What?" Rick asked.

"Not me, not you, not even herself," Damon replied. "Nothing. The slate has been wiped clean."

"What? So she was compelled to forget?" There was that word again. Compelled.

"Not…exactly."

"Then what?"

"I am sitting right here, you know," I snapped in frustration.

"Sorry," they said simultaneously.

"If you want to talk about me, you can do it behind my back later," I told them with a frown. Damon smirked and walked over, handing a mug to me.

"Bottoms up," he said, taking a drink from his own mug. He fell into the chair opposite me and dug into the paper bag for our food. I looked down at the mug and scrunched my nose; it wasn't that I didn't _want _to trust him…I just…didn't really trust him.

I closed my eyes and took a sip of the viscous liquid, then immediately spit it back into the mug.

"What the hell?!" I exclaimed, wiping my lips with the back of my hand. Both Damon and Rick were looking at me with confusion. "What the hell is that?"

"Uh…O-Positive," Damon replied slowly. "I think its tastes fine. Do you want something else?" I can only imagine how much my jaw dropped in that very second.

"Blood?" I began. "You…gave me blood? To drink?"

"Yeah…" he frowned. "It helps stomach the food easier." I began to laugh nervously, thinking that this was a joke, but from the look on both of their faces, I realized that it wasn't.

"You're serious, aren't you?" I asked. He just gave me an expectant look. "Oh my God, you're serious. You seriously gave me blood to drink."

"Of course he did," Rick replied in a confused tone. "Vampires drink blood."

"Excuse me?" I exclaimed, hoping that I hadn't heard him correctly. Damon looked at me with an incredulous expression.

"Please tell me that you, at least, remember that you're a vampire," he said.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

Nobody knows how much I wish that I would wake up and have today be just…some kind of a bad dream. But with every minute that passes, the possibility that this is just a dream gets slimmer and slimmer.

It took Rick and me an hour to explain the existence of vampires to Miranda, and another two to convince her that she was one. Even then, I still could see in her eyes that she didn't want to accept it.

"So I have to drink blood to stay alive," she said, slowly, trying to comprehend the idea.

"Yes," I nodded.

"Doesn't that mean I have to…you know…bite people?" she asked.

"Not necessarily," Rick told her. "The blood Damon just gave you is from a blood bag, from the hospital."

"What if I can do it?" she asked. "I mean…I don't want to hurt anyone…and that…blood…was disgusting."

"You just have to stomach it," I pleaded, taking her hand in mine. "It tastes better warm." She looked in my eyes, her fear evident in hers.

"I don't think I can do it," she muttered.

"You've done it before," I reassured her. "You just don't remember. You've been doing this for over 700 years." She scrunched her nose in distaste.

"God, I'm so old," she said vainly. "700 years. That's such…a long time. How could I forget 700 years worth of memories?"

"It isn't your fault," I told her. "We'll get to the bottom of this somehow. I don't know whether Klaus compelled you, or if it was a witch's spell, or—"

"Witches!" Miranda exclaimed. "_Witches_ are real too?"

"Oh God," Rick sighed, running a hand over his face.

"I think that's going to be a lesson for another day," I said. Unfortunately, my phone started to vibrate at that exact moment and as reluctant as I was to check it, I was glad I did.

Or maybe not.

_Trouble on the way_, the text from Bonnie read. _Klaus knows about the coffins._

"Damn," I muttered. As if I needed something else to worry about.

"What is it?" Rick asked.

"I don't know how, but Klaus knows where the coffins are," I told him, frustrated. "I have to get them out of there before Klaus can.

"I can watch Miranda, if you'd like," he offered.

"No," Miranda exclaimed, squeezing my hand tightly. "I want to stay with you. I'm afraid."

"Afraid?" I asked and she nodded.

"Please?"

I couldn't say no to those big, emotion-filled eyes.

"Come on."

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

The building that Damon had called the "witch house" was a looming, decrepit antebellum structure that both astounded and frightened me. I vaguely wondered if I had ever been here before, and if I had been afraid then too. I'd like to think so, so I wouldn't feel like such a coward now…but I had a feeling that I had been much more…confident and fearless.

"Remember, we have to be really quiet," Damon whispered as he led me back into the house. We had already ventured in once, successfully bringing one coffin to the Rick's SUV, which he had loaned us, but I had been less than graceful and had effectively tripped over many objects that had been discarded on the floors, and bumped into many walls as we carried the coffin out. "Anything could be lurking around."

"Anything?" I asked.

"Klaus probably has some of his hybrids—that's vampire and werewolf hybrids, by the way—" Great; werewolves are real too? "—around somewhere until he can get here. We need to move fast."

When we reached the cellar, Damon grabbed me by the waist and pulled me closer to him. I noticed that the room, which had been dark during the first trip we made, was now illuminated by dozens of candles, and the coffins, which had been there just minutes ago, were now gone.

"Well, well," a smooth, accented voice echoed throughout the room. From the shadows emerged a man wearing a dark jacket over a white t-shirt; there was something about him that just…commanded fear. "What took you so long?"

"Oh, you know," Damon shrugged. "News doesn't travel so fast when you don't have any hybrid minions at your beck and call." The man looked over at me and smirked.

"And Miranda," he tsked, "you knew about this secret little hiding spot too? I'm so disappointed."

"She has nothing to do with this," Damon snapped at him. "She didn't know anything until now, Klaus."

"Hmm," Klaus eyed me for a moment and then turned on his heel to look around the room. "I'll buy it. For now." He walked around the perimeter of the room, stopping once again before us. "I should've figured that your brother was hiding the coffins here, cowering behind your witchy friends. And in squalor, no less." He smirked momentarily, and then dropped to his knees, screaming in pain as the candles burst to life, their flames growing until they practically reached the ceiling. I jumped in surprise and grabbed Damon's hand in fear; he squeezed back in a reassuring manner and then turned his attention back to Klaus.

"Insulting a bunch of dead witches?" Damon asked, a smirk in his voice. "Not smart. I made the same mistake first time I came in here."

"Well," Klaus struggled to reply. "The funny thing about witches is that, living or dead, they care about their own. A hundred dead witches have a thousand living descendants, and I have no problem killing every last one of them if I don't get what I want. As we speak, a friend of mine is prepared to end the Bennett line."

After a few seconds, the candles returned to their former states and Klaus got to his feet, obviously not in pain anymore.

"Now," he said, words not directed towards Damon or I, but rather to the room itself. "Show me the coffins." There was a sound, like wind whistling through the air, and in the blink of an eye, the coffins reappeared, sitting parallel to each other on the floor before us.

"Good," Klaus hummed in satisfaction. "But it seems like we're missing the forth. Show me!" He was silent for a while before Damon cut in.

"Sorry to burst your bubble," he began. "But they can't show you something that isn't there." Klaus' head turned so fast to glare at Damon, you'd have thought his neck had snapped. In a blur, Klaus had pinned Damon to the wall by the throat, and I stared in disbelief. Increased speed; it was one of the abilities Damon and Rick had told me that vampires had, but hearing about it and actually seeing it were two different things.

"What did you do?" Klaus growled.

"Bonnie gave us a heads-up," Damon struggled to answer. "Didn't have enough time for all four, but I did manage to get one." Klaus tightened his grip on Damon's throat and a terrible snarl emanated from him.

"I will tear you limb from limb, and only then, when you're a writhing mass of blood and flesh, will I rip your heart from your chest."

"Stop!" I exclaimed, causing Klaus to look over his shoulder at me. "P-please, don't hurt him."

"You know he deserves it, Miranda, dear," Klaus replied. "He's been a thorn in my side for a long time, but I've been merciful…until now." I took a few steps closer and cautiously placed a hand on the arm that was holding Damon to the wall.

"Please." I begged. Klaus looked me in the eye and frowned.

"What's gotten into you?" he asked. "Simply pleading for his life. Normally, you'd have had me across the room by now, buried under a pile of rubble. Where's your fire? Your hatred?"

"You should know Klaus," Damon said. "You took it away from her."

"What?" Klaus frowned, his gaze still on me. "I did no such thing. What are you—oh! Oh! I see it now." He let go of Damon, who dropped to the ground, coughing, and turned to me; I backed away slightly in fear. "There's something different about you. In your eyes. _Who_ is in there? It certainly isn't the Miranda I know. She's gone, isn't she? Hello there. Are you afraid of me?"

I nodded.

"You don't have to be," he assured me, voice taking a calming, gentle tone. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not even going to hurt that waste of space over there. I promise I won't…so long as you do one thing for me."

He slowly leaned closer to me to whisper in my ear.

"Do we have a deal?" he asked, backing away. I frowned, but nodded. "Good." He turned his attention back to Damon, who was now back on his feet, but still catching his breath. "Make sure she gets home safely Salvatore." Klaus turned his attention to the man who had just walked down the cellar steps and had begun to load the coffins onto a cart.

Damon grabbed my hand and tugged me up the stairs and out of the house. He didn't utter a single word until we were in the car.

"What did he say to you?" he asked, putting the key into the ignition.

"What?" I asked, looking at him from my spot in the passenger's seat.

"When he 'made a deal' with you," he clarified. "What did he say?"

"Oh…" I paused and frowned. "Nothing. He, um, he just asked for me to make sure that the coffin stayed safe. I guess it's really important to him."

"We can't even get it open," Damon scoffed as he started down the road.

"Damon?" I began.

"Yeah?"

"You…wouldn't lie to me, would you?" I asked. "Or hide anything from me?"

"Of course not," he replied, looking over at me with a soft smile playing on his lips.

I turned and looked out the window, feeling slightly ashamed for lying to him, but then I thought about the way he had told Klaus that I hadn't known anything about the coffins, or where they were, and Klaus' words echoed in my head.

_Be careful who you trust, Miranda. Not everyone in town is looking out for your best interests._

**A/N: WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTT?! Miranda lost her memory?! Hehe, I'm evil. Go ahead; throw stones. But I bet that you didn't see that coming! Or maybe you did? Miranda did say that she wanted to **_**clear her head**_** at the end of the last chapter. Any theories as to what caused this to happen? (I spent three hours researching Meredith's diagnosis, but is that really what happened? Or is there something—or someone—else behind this? Hmmm.)**

**I'm sorry for being late again. I had mentioned posting it over the weekend, but then I was called in to sub at work both Saturday and Sunday, and I was scheduled to work since Monday, and I was so knackered when I got home that I forgot to post it. But now I'm off until next Wednesday, so you can expect another chapter soon! Oh, and what a chapter it will be!**

**And that's it. Reviews are always appreciated and they will get you a sneak peek of the next chapter. So review; questions, comments, concerns. There are definitely a few little plot twisters woven throughout the big, obvious one, so I'd like to see if anyone notices them, or if anyone has any theories!**

**Until next time! Thanks for reading!**


	74. Be Our Guest

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Damon's POV**

I twirled the white oak dagger in my hands, watching the hilt spin in a strangely mesmerizing way. I had time to waste; a lot of it.

The only person I had told about undaggering Elijah was Stefan, but even he didn't know that I had left the boarding house in the wee hours of the morning to wait for the honorable Original in the middle of the forest until he showed up. I had been lucky that Klaus had turned his attention to Miranda for a short while the night before; it had given me enough time to undagger Elijah and then write and slip a note in his jacket pocket without being noticed. The only downside to that was that his attention _was_ on her, and he could've taken advantage of the situation quite easily. He could've compelled her to…I don't know, turn on me and join his team.

Thankfully he didn't.

As for Miranda, she was safe at home, sorting through all of her things—_all _of her things—so she might remember something. So far, nothing. But she soldiered on. When I had called her before heading out to meet Elijah, she said that she was looking through her closet, trying to remember where she had gotten the various items. I figured that it would take her the rest of the day, and perhaps into tomorrow, to go through the enormous collection she had amassed. That gave me enough time to wheel and deal with Elijah to double-cross Klaus, giving Bonnie and her long lost mother a chance to open the locked coffin.

There was a blur of movement in the corner of my eye and I turned my attention to it, smirking as I saw Elijah standing in the middle of the field I had specified as our meeting place. I carefully tucked the dagger into my jacket, just in case I needed to use it, and then I got out of my car.

Unfortunately, my phone began to ring at that very moment.

"What?" I answered impatiently.

"Looks like we've got some trouble," Rick answered.

"When don't we have trouble?" I asked.

"Sheriff Forbes said that forensics found a set of fingerprints on the stake that killed the medical examiner," he replied. "She just left a few minutes ago."

"Great," I said. "Who's our killer?"

"Damon…" Elena said after Rick put the phone on speaker. "They found _my _fingerprints on the stake."

"Damn," I muttered. "So you're the prime suspect?"

"It was one of the stakes hidden at the Gilbert's Lake House," Rick explained.

"Sheriff Forbes doesn't think that I did it," Elena continued. "She's just trying to find out _why_ somebody used my family's weapons to kill a council member, and how they got their hands on it in the first place."

"Well, why don't you just ask Rick if his little doctor friend had access to the weapons," I offered.

"Why do you keep thinking Meredith has something to do with this?" Rick asked defensively.

"I'm just saying," I replied. "The first suspect is usually the right one. Meredith seems to be chumming up to you, and I know for a fact that you have a set of those stakes in the trunk of your car."

"Brian Walters was killed days ago, alright?" Rick snapped. "I didn't even show Meredith my hunting stuff until last night!"

"Well, who else knows about your secret little slayer stash?" I asked.

"Who doesn't?" Rick replied. "I've hidden weapons everywhere. My car, your car, my loft, the school…hell, I even have stakes tucked between some of the booth cushions at the Grill."

"Paranoid much?" I mocked, and then sighed. "What if it's Klaus? He could just be screwing with us."

"What if it's Stefan?" Elena suggested. "He was crazy on the night of the fundraiser. We all know that he's capable of pretty much anything."

"Ahh, makes me nostalgic for the time when Stefan was a bunny snacking pacifist," I sighed. I noticed that Elijah was standing only a few yards away. "Anyways, got to go."

"Where are you?" Rick asked.

"Tea with an old friend," I said simply, and then hung up. Elijah smirked at me. "My favorite Original, back from the dead. You clean up nice," I told him, noticing the new suit and haircut.

"You left something in my jacket pocket," he said, holding the folded scrap of paper.

"Yeah," I nodded. "'Dear Elijah, let's get together and plot the destruction of your brother. XOXO.'"

"Damon," he finished for me with a bored expression on his face.

"Was I right to undagger you or are we gonna have a problem?" I asked.

"Where's Miranda?" he asked, skirting the question. "I'll admit that the thought of seeing her still glued to your side had deterred me momentarily—"

"Thanks," I deadpanned.

"—but I was looking forward to seeing her, nonetheless."

"She's at home," I told him. "Not feeling too well." Elijah frowned, obviously detecting my lie.

"You didn't tell her you were meeting with me?" he asked, voice heavy with suspicion. "Why?"

"Any idea what kind of Klaus killing weapon could be magically sealed inside of a mystery coffin?" I asked, this time skirting _his _question.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

"Come on."

Nothing.

"Come on." I narrowed my eyes.

Still nothing.

"Give me something," I begged.

Once again, nothing.

"Ugh," I groaned, breaking the stare that I had been giving a pair of beautiful grey boots with a wedge heel made of glass for the last half hour. I had been doing this process with every single shoe box I pulled out from the shelf inside of my walk-in closet. I had started at…three in the morning, when I woke up, finding a deep sleep unachievable. Now it was almost noon and I had only gone through fifteen pairs, with maybe forty or so left to do before I could start on actual clothes, and all I had to show for it was the beginnings of a headache.

"I need wine," I huffed, even though I had promised myself to stay as sober as possible until I could remember the origins of at least _one_ object in my closet.

"But…one _little, _itty-bitty glass of wine wouldn't do anything would it?" I said aloud. I waited a few minutes for some cosmic sign of disagreement. Maybe a car horn or a dog barking…but there was nothing. "Didn't think so," I cheered, jumping to my feet immediately.

I happily ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. I damned my height as I had to stand on my tip-toes to get a wine glass from one of the cabinets, and briefly entertained the idea of drinking straight from the bottle, but both thoughts were dashed as the phone rang.

"I guess that's my sign," I sighed and pulled my phone from my pocket. "Hello?"

"Miranda?" the voice on the other end answered. "This is Meredith Fell."

"Oh, hi Dr. Fell," I greeted, leaning against the counter.

"You _can_ call me Meredith," she reminded me.

"Sorry," I replied bashfully. "How can I help you?"

"I wanted to call and see how you were doing," Meredith answered. "If you were feeling anymore physical symptoms."

"I have a little headache," I told her truthfully. "But I've been staring at shoes for the last few hours, so…"

"Why were you staring at shoes?" she asked, confusion evident in her voice.

"I hoped that they would help me remember something," I replied.

"Miranda," Meredith began slowly. "You shouldn't be trying to force your memory to come back. It will happen on its own in time, usually with little triggers here and there."

"But…I want to remember now."

"I spoke with one of our psychiatry residents at the hospital and he said that if you keep trying to…nudge yourself into remembering things, it might even take longer."

"What am I supposed to do then?" I sighed.

"Be yourself," Meredith suggested.

"And who might that be? Because I don't know!" I snapped at her.

"Then do what you feel like doing," Meredith continued calmly. "Read a book…go shopping. Maybe you can go to the Grill for lunch and then go exploring in town. You might even recognize some things."

"I guess," I huffed.

"I'll let you go now," Meredith said. "Don't hesitate to call in case anything happens."

"I won't." I smiled slightly. "Thanks, Meredith."

The doorbell rang almost immediately after I hung up.

"Huh…" I frowned. Who could I possibly be? Damon called me this morning, and he told me that he would try to call before coming over unless it was an emergency. Was there an emergency? Or maybe he had tried to call and was unable to reach me because I was talking to Meredith.

The bell rang again and I pushed myself off the counter to go answer it.

"I'm coming!" I called as I got closer. "Hold on!" I opened the door and found a man dressed rather impeccably in a suit; there was a small smile on his lips and an amused glint in his eyes.

And then memories came flooding into my mind in a rush that practically made my head spin.

_I rested my head against the strange man's shoulder and sighed sleepily. The gentle bobbing of his footsteps as he carried me felt just like my mama rocking me back to sleep after I had a bad dream._

"_You're safe now, little Miranda," he whispered. "Nothing will hurt you ever again."_

* * *

_I was dying. That I knew for sure. Everything hurt and everything felt like it was being pulled away._

"_I'm scared," I confided in him, licking my lips again, and the blood staining them coating my tongue once more. I had felt…so thirsty—my mouth felt fuzzy and dry—and although I was shocked that he had fed me his blood, it quenched my thirst just a little bit._

"_Don't be." He smiled a broken smile. "This isn't the end; it's just the beginning."_

* * *

"_What's wrong?" He frowned, noticing my expression as soon as he entered the library._

"_What?" I asked, trying to regain composure. "Nothing is wrong."_

"_Do not lie to me," he replied. "You're sad."_

"_I'm not."_

"_I haven't seen you smile in the longest time Miranda. And now you sit here…on the verge of tears."_

_I sighed, knowing I couldn't lie to him._

"_It hurts, Elijah. Everything hurts. Hate, anger, sadness, happiness…love. And you won't let me turn them off. I can't bear the pain much longer." In the blink of an eye, he was sitting beside me, wiping tears from my cheeks before I even realized they had fallen._

"_But you will. You're stronger than you realize. I believe in you."_

The memories of him just kept flashing in my mind. Truthfully, it made me a bit nauseous, but the emotion that they brought with them…was so overwhelming. Happiness, sadness, fear, relief, loyalty, love, trust, and so many more.

"I'd have thought you would be attacking me with a hug by now," the man began with a chuckle. "I mean, especially considering that the last time you saw me, my brother had stuck a dagger into my chest and I was, for all intents and purposes, dead." I suddenly realized that he was still standing there as I got a reign over emotions, finally settling on

"Elijah," I muttered, staring wide-eyed at him. I took a step closer to him and placed a hand on his chest, as if to feel if he was really there, standing before me, and not just a figment of my imagination. "You're Elijah."

"I am," he replied hesitantly. I threw my arms around his waist and hugged him as tightly as I could.

"You're here. You're real," I exclaimed happily. "I remember you!"

"Yes, I'm here," he chuckled at first, and then stiffened. "What do you mean, you _remember_ me?"

"Uh…" I bit my lip in hesitation.

"Miranda," he warned. "Tell me the truth."

"Well…you see, I…I," I began, and then finished in a scant whisper. "I have a sort of type of amnesia and I don't remember anything about my life." Elijah grabbed me by my shoulders and held me away from him.

"What?" he hissed, eyes narrowing.

"Well, yes, I suppose. That's what my doctor said," I told him bashfully. "But…I remember you now…mostly; isn't that a good thing? Even though I still can't remember anything else, I remember _you_, and it's because you're so important to me. I mean…I guess that's why. I should call Meredith and tell her the good news. She'll want to know about this."

He stared at me for a few minutes and then scowled and let go of me. "I'm going to kill him. Excuse me." He turned on his heel and walked down the porch steps.

"Wait!" I exclaimed and ran after him. "Stop. Kill who?"

"First, my brother Niklaus," he growled. "Then, when I'm done ripping him to pieces, Damon Salvatore."

"What? Why?"

"The only way Niklaus' compulsion can be undone is if he compels you to remember, which he won't, or if he's dead, which he will be. And your boyfriend lied to me about you; the lying to me is a death wish within itself, but when it pertains to you, he might as well have dug his own grave."

"Elijah, stop this!" I exclaimed, running in front of him to stop him from getting any further. "Klaus didn't do this to me; I did this to myself." Elijah stared at me in confusion. "I…something happened, and my brain decided to forget everything…to protect me, I guess."

"I don't understand," he muttered.

"Neither do I," I admitted. "But, please…don't do anything drastic. Now you're here, and I remember you. You're one of the most influential person in my life—if it weren't for you, my life would be entirely different—so with your help, maybe I can get _all_ of my memories back. Please, Elijah. Help me."

Elijah stared at me, a sad expression overtaking his features. He hesitantly cupped my face in his hands, his thumbs softly caressing my cheeks.

"I will _always _help you, Miranda," he said softly. "I made a promise, a long time ago, to keep you safe, and I promise that I will make this right. Soon, everything will be right again."

* * *

**Elijah's POV**

Anger.

It took all of my discipline to keep it hidden as I drove back towards Niklaus' mansion.

How could this have happened? How could Miranda forget _everything_ about her life? What could've been so horrible that made her chose to forget? I knew that, sometimes, these things weren't caused by choices, but Miranda was a vampire…she should've been so vulnerable. That led me to believe that my brother was behind this; he had to have compelled her to forget, just as he had done so many times throughout her life, when she had angered him or stumbled upon something she shouldn't have.

Perhaps Damon Salvatore had done something to anger him and Klaus had done this to Miranda to punish him. I always knew that Damon was not right for her. He was too…arrogant, and he had a strong sense of self. He didn't cherish Miranda as someone truly in love should; he took too many risks, broke her heart too many times.

I sighed and looked over at Miranda, worry building at the broken expression plastered on her otherwise cheerful face. I had seen that expression on her face before, almost 700 years ago, and I knew, deep inside despite not being in her life for almost 500 years, that it had been that long since it had appeared again. It meant that she felt utterly lost and conflicted and alone.

I knew what I had to do to get her spirits up again.

I pulled the car into the long cobblestone driveway and parked in front of the front entrance to the mansion.

"Where are we?" Miranda asked, looking at the looming structure through the passenger-side mirror.

"Home," I told her simply.

I got out of the car and rushed to her side to help her out, and take the small travel case I had her pack before we left her house. I led her inside and we were instantly met by Niklaus, who had a smug smirk on his lips.

"Well, well," he began. "Look whose back, and you've brought a guest with you. Not that I mind; Miranda is a part of the family. She's entirely welcome here. In fact, I've had one of my hybrid friends make up a room for her." I glared at him for a moment as he motioned for one of his minions to take Miranda upstairs to the wing of bedrooms. She hesitated but I nodded in reassurance, and waited for her to get out of hearing range to confront my brother.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" I asked him, breezing past him into the den.

"Of course not, brother," Klaus answered, though the joy was evident in his voice. "Miranda is part of your bloodline, a part of our bloodline; if she suffers, so do we."

"Then what did you do to cause this?" I asked, pouring a drink for myself. "You must have something to do with this…memory loss of hers; it has your name written all over it."

"I didn't compel her to forget, if that's what you're implying," Klaus huffed in reply. I turned and looked over my shoulder at him in disbelief. "Truly, Elijah. I give you my word; I didn't do anything malicious to your progeny."

"But you did do something," I coaxed.

"Perhaps," Klaus replied.

"What?"

"I compelled her to remember everything I made her forget all those years ago. Rebekah, Kol, the reasons why we needed to travel around so much…everything. It was a gift; an apology." Realization dawned on me, and I froze, my glass resting upon my lips.

"It overwhelmed her," I muttered.

"I suppose it did," Klaus sighed. "I always thought she was stronger…but I guess not."

"All of the things that you had taken away from her. All of those people she and Rebekah killed while having an adventure, thousands of conversations she had, and all those places she had been. The guilt, the grief, the trauma; nobody is that strong to remember tens of lifetimes in one moment and not go mad. Not even you, brother."

"Enough!" Klaus snapped. "The Salvatores will be here in a few hours; there is much to prepare. I'm sure you have something to occupy your time."

"I will not always be here to clean up your messes, Niklaus," I called as he started to walk out of the den. He paused momentarily, but continued on anyways; there was, no doubt, a smirk on his face.

I didn't have time to dwell on it, though. I had much to do to prepare for the Salvatores' visit. But first, I had a phone call to make.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

When Stefan and I arrived at Klaus' mansion, we were greeted by Elijah, and I got an immediate sense of foreboding, and as he led us inside and I spotted Klaus standing next to a table fully set for dinner, I knew why. It was a strange déjà vu, somehow mirroring the dinner party I had held only months ago to lure Elijah into a trap so we could use the dagger on him. This time, though, it was Klaus that we were going to trap; Elijah wanted his brother to suffer as much as we did.

"Let's discuss the terms of our agreement like civilized men, shall we?" Klaus questioned, motioning towards the table as three promiscuously dress girls walked in with trays of food and began setting the plates onto the table.

"I didn't come here to eat, Klaus," Stefan said indignantly. "In fact, I didn't want to come here at all, but I was told that I had to because you would hear us out." Stefan shot a glare directly sat me and I shrugged.

"Well," Klaus began, casually taking a seat at the table. "We can sit and eat, or I can reach down your throats and tear out your insides. The choice is yours." I noticed that Stefan was ready to say something snide, therefore condemning us to a slow, painful death, and quickly intervened.

"I think the first option sounds much better," I said, hoping to lighten the mood a little bit.

"Excellent," Klaus exclaimed, motioning for us to take our seats. "You see, I can be hospitable; I simply require cooperation in return."

Dinner progressed tensely. At first, Stefan refused to eat, but I managed to coax him into not being an ass, and he reluctantly took a bite of his steak. For a while, the only sounds were coming from silverware hitting the plates as we ate. I did have to give Klaus one thing; he had really good taste for an evil hybrid intent on killing everyone who got in the way of his plans.

"Tell me, Damon," Klaus began suddenly, smirking arrogantly. "Where is the lovely Miranda tonight?"

"Niklaus," Elijah interjected in a warning tone, obviously annoyed that Miranda was being brought up as a way to stir things.

"Oh, hush, Elijah," Klaus chuckled. "I didn't mean any harm by it. You've missed so much; you haven't really gotten to see how much Miranda is roped into their little schemes and escapades."

"Miranda's at home, actually," I answered, hiding my surprise as Elijah's gaze turned towards me and steeled instantly.

"Really?" Elijah asked, quirking an eyebrow in question.

"She…she still doesn't feel all that well. She said she doesn't feel like herself," I replied. It wasn't really a lie.

The room was silent for a few minutes until Klaus decided to speak; he looked downright amused.

"Do you know the meaning of deceit, Damon?" he asked.

"Of course I do," I replied with confusion.

"Well…you see...deceit is really where this story all starts," Klaus continued.

"What story?" Stefan asked.

"Ours. Elijah's and mine and our family's. It all started with deceit…and a girl named Tatia. Tatia Petrova."

"That's enough, Niklaus," Elijah snapped at him.

"No, no," Stefan interjected. "I want to hear about this. I'm assuming that…this Tatia Petrova is—"

"The girl who the doppelganger curse originated from. The first of the Petrova line," Klaus agreed.

"When our family first settled here, there was a girl named Tatia; she was an exquisite beauty. Every boy of age desired to be her suitor, even though she had a child by another man. And none loved her more than Niklaus," Elijah explained.

"I'd say there was one who loved her at least as much," Klaus smirked.

"So…wait. You both loved the same girl?" Stefan asked.

"Our other was a very powerful witch," Elijah continued. "She sought to end our feud over Tatia. You see, Tatia wouldn't make a decision between us, and that caused much…conflict in our family. Our mother wanted us to forgive each other and be a true family once again, so she took Tatia away, Klaus and I would later learn that it was Tatia's blood that we consumed in the wine on the night our mother peformed the spell which turned us into vampires." He looked down at his plate for a moment, silently, looking incredibly pensive.

"So you see," Klaus added. "Deception only lasts so long. The truth was still revealed in the end."

"What was the point of storytime?" I asked.

"There has been much deception between us tonight, so far, hasn't there Damon?" Klaus asked with a smirk. "You have kept something from Elijah. Am I correct?"

I scowled at him, but reluctantly agreed.

"Miranda is, in fact, not at home, feeling ill?" he continued.

"No," I snapped at him. Klaus motioned for one of the waitresses over and whispered in her ear. She nodded and quickly walked out of the room. "Where is she going?" I asked.

"You see, Elijah has kept something from you as well; haven't you brother?" Klaus asked; Elijah simply took a sip of his wine. Klaus turned back to Stefan and me. "I hope you don't mind if we have another guest join us for dessert."

"What?" I frowned.

"As far as I remember, she is quite fond of sweets," Klaus grinned. His gaze drifted behind us. "Come in dear; we're all friends here, don't be shy."

I turned around quickly and my eyes went wide; standing timidly in the entryway was Miranda.

**A/N: Hehe. Remember when I promised that this chapter would be up over the weekend…well, that was, like, three weeks ago. Sorry. **** I've just started school and I've been swamped with homework. It's been crazy. When I'm not at school, I'm at home, either doing my homework or sleeping. Luckily, I'm all caught up with my work now, **_**and**_**, I have Friday's free to write for you guys. So yay! That means more chapters will be posted soon. And oh, a lot has happened in this chapter. Elijah's back, and he's being the overprotective father again and we find out the reason that caused Miranda to lose her memories. **

**I'd like to give a shout-out/chapter dedication to TinyDancer365, who I beta for. Today is her BIRTHDAY! If you haven't read any of her stories yet, you should because she is an amazing writer and is very, very creative. Go read them and wish her a wonderful birthday. (Sorry for the lack of cupcakes, girl. Hopefully a new chapter to read makes up for it.) BIRTHDAY! **

**And that's it. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter; sorry again for the wait. Reviews are always appreciated and they will get you a sneak peek of the next chapter. So review; questions, comments, concerns. Anything! **

**Until next time! Hopefully, it will be sooner. Thanks for being patient and thanks for reading!**


	75. A Change of Heart

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, but I do own my OC, Miranda.**

**Damon's POV**

"Miranda!" I exclaimed, jumping from my chair. "What are you doing here?"

"Elijah brought me here," she answered simply, blinking in confusion.

"And you just went with him? A stranger?" I scoffed.

"He isn't a stranger, Damon," Miranda frowned. "He turned me into a vampire, Damon. He's one of the closest friends I ever had; the only family I have left."

"You remember him? You remember _him_ but you don't remember me?" I asked, incredulous at the news. How…how had this happened? From what she had told me…she had made no progress in remembering _anything_, and suddenly…she remembered Elijah?

"Did you really expect me _not_ to visit Miranda, Damon?" Elijah asked me. I turned my gaze to him and it took everything I had not to jump across the table and break his neck. "You were foolish to try and hide her memory loss from me. Once I saw the state she was in, I promised to help her try to restore her mind to its former state."

"But why bring her here?" I asked. "Klaus isn't exactly Miranda's biggest fan!"

"Oh, on the contrary," Klaus interjected. "I quite like Miranda; we used to be such friends. And we still are; that's why I invited her down to join us. Please, sweetheart. Take a seat." He snapped his fingers and one of the compelled waitresses brought another chair to the table, setting it right between Klaus and Elijah's.

Miranda nodded silently and walked over to sit down; she was acquiescing to Klaus' command, because even I could tell it was a command, even though he had said it in a friendly way. Klaus smirked at me as she settled and a glass of wine was poured for her. He was flaunting this little victory over me, that, somehow, he had gotten Miranda on his side. I knew, though, that even with her memories gone, she was only here because of Elijah. It didn't matter; mine and Elijah's plan to double-cross Klaus would work and, if I could get Miranda alone to convince her that Elijah had betrayed her trust too many times and she should trust _me_, everything would be right again.

"Now, let's have a nice, civil conversation," Klaus grinned, a malicious glint in his eye.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I didn't understand why I was here, why I was brought downstairs to join their little dinner party, but I was glad that I was out of that room. When Elijah first brought me here, I was led up to a perfectly pristine white room. White walls, white ceiling, white sheets and pillows on the bed…it made me feel like I was in an insane asylum. Just give me a strait jacket.

I had been left alone for hours, as well; the only time anyone had stopped by my room was to drop off a tray of food and a chilled bag of blood, and I had begun to be angry at Elijah for not coming to see me, to talk to me. Hell, I would've even been grateful if I had _Klaus _to talk to, even if I was a little bit wary of him.

Now, although the conversation could be considered short and strained, at best, I wasn't alone anymore. And the panna cotta wasn't that bad either; I had forced myself to drink the blood throughout my dinner, hoping to get accustomed to the taste because Damon had explained that I needed to drink it in order to survive, but it was so…bleh.

"So," Elijah began, breaking the silence. "Now that the evening is coming to a close, shall we discuss the terms of our proposal?" I frowned, looking around the table at the others; what proposal?

"That's very simple," Damon began, his gaze hard as he looked at the men on either side of me. "Klaus gets his coffin, and in exchange, he and the rest of the Original extended family leave Mystic Falls forever. The rest of us live happily ever after. No grudges."

"That sounds like a fair deal," Elijah agreed, then looked over at Klaus. "Doesn't it brother?"

"Hmm…very fair, yes. Neat and cleat, tied up like a little package," Klaus nodded. "But you are overlooking two things."

"And what would those things be?" Stefan asked.

"Well, first off would be Miss Elena Gilbert. Her doppelganger blood insures that I will always have more hybrids to fight those who oppose me." Klaus stood up from his seat. "Say I do leave her here, under your protection? How long before Stefan here decides to turn her into a vampire? He's not as cold as he acts; I'm sure there's still a soft spot for her somewhere. Or worse, what if she dies?"

"We _will_ protect Elena," Damon told him pointedly. "Don't worry; she'll be safe in Mystic Falls. What's the other problem?"

"Well, truly, it's no problem to me, and probably not to Elijah here either, but for you Damon?" Klaus asked. "You said that, in exchange for my coffin, I would pack up my extended family and leave town. You failed to realize that my _extended family_ includes Miss Miranda, here."

"No," Damon said immediately. "I meant your hybrid minions. Not Miranda."

"Well, she's technically included." Klaus sat back down and smirked triumphantly.

"She's not leaving; she's staying here, with me," Damon told him angrily.

"Wait, hold on," I interjected. "Don't I have some say in this?"

"Yes, I believe you do," Elijah replied thoughtfully.

"You stay out of this," Damon snapped at him. "She's _my_ girlfriend."

"She doesn't even remember you," Elijah told him coolly.

"Stop it," I scolded them, rising from my seat. "Stop acting like…like children fighting over a toy. I'm a person and I have my own opinion."

"And what opinion would that be?" Damon asked me.

"I….I…" I sighed. "I need some air." I put my napkin on the table and left the room. I faintly heard four overlapping voices as I walked down the hall, unsuccessfully trying to recall the way to get outside. I ended up in a room filled with coffins; the very coffins that Klaus had taken from the witch house the night before.

I was about to leave, finding this…obsession with coffins strange, but my curiosity got the better of me in the end. Elijah had been inside one of these coffins; perhaps there was someone else inside another that I had some kind of connection to in my past. I ended up walking over to one of the coffins and opening the lid.

Lying inside, skin all grey and veiny and stone-like, was a man who had a very strong resemblance to Elijah. He was young and handsome, and I could just tell, despite the serene expression on his face, that he was someone who was meant to smile a lot. I couldn't help but smile myself as I continued to gaze at him, but it turned into a frown as I saw the hilt of a dagger sticking out of his chest.

"Ah, I see you've found Kol," Elijah's voice startled me and I jumped. I turned to face him and was surprised to see that he was followed by Damon, as well as one of the waitresses from the dining room. He walked over and grasped the dagger sticking out of Kol's chest. He then rushed across the room, opening another coffin and removing a dagger from the occupant's chest, and again with the third coffin. "It shouldn't be long now."

"Shouldn't be long for what?" I asked.

"For them to wake up," Damon explained.

"Why do you want them to wake up?"

"They deserve to live," Elijah replied. "And they deserve to get their revenge against our brother for the mess he has made." He placed the daggers on a tray that the waitress held, and then turned to me, taking my face in his hands. "Why don't you go up to your room? You don't need to see any more of this."

"I'm not weak, Elijah," I told him.

"I know." He nodded. "You're one of the strongest people I have ever met; I'm very proud of you, Miranda. This is something that I would rather you not see, though. Go to your room; I've sent up a gift for you."'

"Really?" I asked, spirits rising somewhat.

"Yes," Elijah said, giving me a small smile. "Now go; I promise that I'll be up later to check on you."

"Alright," I nodded and left the room, my gaze locking with Damon's for a split second, unable to read the intensity in his eyes, and blushing bashfully.

* * *

It turned out that the gift Elijah had left for me was a record player and a stack of vinyls. As I looked through the different album covers and began playing them, I wondered how and where he had gotten them. The stereo itself looked modern, with shiny knobs and built-in speakers, but the records were certainly dated. Elijah wasn't the type to go to garage sales…but judging by the styles of clothing I had found while looking through my closet earlier, he must've known I had, or used to have, a fondness of vintage things.

After a while, I found an incredibly old record with a single song on it, one that I immediately knew I liked, even without recalling what the song sounded like at all. Soon, the sweet melody of "Deep Purple," played only by a single piano drifted through my room, giving it a homier feel.

I felt warmth in my heart as I slowly began softly singing along to the song that was otherwise unknown to me. I figured, in some strange way, Elijah must've known that I would remember this song.

"…Through the mist of a memory, you'll wander back to me, breathing my name with a sigh…"

Right after that verse, though, the song was interrupted by a knock at the door. Thinking that it was Elijah, I called for him to come in, but as I looked up from one of the albums to share the good news with him and thank him for the gift, I found that it was, instead, Damon who was standing at the threshold.

"Hey," he said, his voice heavy with unspoken thoughts.

"Hi," I replied simply.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

"Sure," I nodded and stopped the record player so it wouldn't interrupt our conversation. "What's up?" He stepped further into the room and shut the door behind him.

"I…I wanted to ask you if…if there was anything else that you've remembered lately. Aside from Elijah, of course." Damon frowned. "Actually, I want to know what you remember about him to. If you remember everything…or just certain things."

"You're upset," I observed. I took his silence as an agreement and then walked over to him. I took his hand and pulled him over to the bed so we could sit down; I didn't think that this was a conversation that needed to be had in such a strained and formal way. After we were sitting, Damon continued to hold my hand, his thumb caressing my skin in a way that, I figured, he had done many times.

"I want you to know that I'm truly sorry, Damon," I began. "I was up practically all of last night, thinking. Thinking about what Dr. Fell had told me had happened, about what you had told me, and about what…what I believed to be the truth when I woke up yesterday before…" I hesitated momentarily. "I even looked through my phone at all the different pictures and texts and…and I just felt so…so guilty for forgetting. I felt so terrible that…that I did what I did, even though I didn't consciously do it. I felt especially terrible for forgetting you. Those texts…all of the funny little messages that probably only made sense to me and you, all of the 'I love yous.' I must've loved you very much."

"Don't," Damon said in a pained tone, his eyes closing sharply. "Don't say it like that. Don't say it like you don't love me anymore."

"But I don't." I regretted saying it immediately as a heartbroken expression took over his features. "I don't love you, Damon, because I don't know you. I don't know all of the things that you did to make me fall in love with you before. But I know, deep down in my heart, I know that I loved you with every fiber of my being. I can tell that you were the world to me." Damon's expression changed from heartbroken to furious, and before I knew it, he had me pinned to the bed, his hand wrapped around my throat so tightly that I could barely breathe.

"Then why did you do it?" He yelled. "Why did you choose to forget? Why, when you forgot about everything else, did you choose to forget about _me_? Did you even think about me at all? How could you love me like you say you did and then just…forget?" His eyes became glassy with tears. "I would never forget you Miranda. Even if I was compelled to forget about you, I would fight it with everything I had. I would hold on to every last memory I had of you. I would rather _die_ than do that to you; put you through the pain I'm going through now." His grip on my throat tightened, and then he must've realized what he was doing, because he let me go.

I gasped for breath and tensed as he brushed the hair from my face. I wasn't afraid of him, no, but the gentleness was unexpected and caught me off guard.

"I'll fight, though, Miranda," Damon whispered to me. "I'll fight anything and everything that gets between us. I'll fight with all that I have to get you to remember me someday, Miranda. Hopefully it will be someday soon, but I'll wait as long as I have to. Because I love you. I'll love you forever. Even if you don't love me in return."

And then I blinked, and he was gone. The record player was on again, "Deep Purple" echoing off the walls and softly hitting my ears, and I wondered if Damon had even been here at all. I wondered if it had been a figment of my imagination…and then I spotted it, resting on the bedside table, glinting in the lamplight. I recognized it; I had worn it yesterday, but had taken it off for bed and didn't think to put it back when I had gotten up because I was eager to start the day.

It was a simple chain necklace with a silver skeleton key charm.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I practically fell onto a barstool when I got to the Grill, emotionally exhausted from the day's events. The bartender must've known the look on my face because he grabbed an unopened bottle of bourbon and a glass and placed then both in front of me without a word.

"Whole bottle?" the man sitting a few stools down commented with a low whistle. "Must've been a rough night."

"It was," I sighed, pouring a generous glass and downing it all immediately, relishing in the burn. I looked over at the guy, noticing that he looked a little bit out of place for a small town bar at this time of night. The place was packed with couples whose date nights were running long but were enjoying time away from their kids, groups of students who were studying for some test that they had in the morning and were running on endless cups of coffee and baskets of fries, and a variety of the other usual suspects—the college punks getting drunk and playing pool, the middle-aged women having a "Girl's Night", fruity drinks with umbrellas and all, and…well…me. This guy was dressed a little too nicely—suit, freshly pressed, pristine white shirt, but no tie—he looked at his phone a little too much, and obviously on his first and only drink.

"What brings you to Mystic Falls?" I asked him.

"Am I that easy to read?" he chuckled. "I'm here on business."

"Eh," I shrugged. "Should've guessed. You look like one of those overworked office deadheads."

The man's expression turned unsure but went blank as his phone vibrated. He looked down at the screen and frowned. As he grabbed his wallet out of his inner jacket pocket to pay his bar tab, I noticed he was wearing a ring on his middle finger. It was silver, with a small blue stone set in the center; was that…no, it couldn't be.

"Damon Salvatore," I introduced myself, just in case that ring _wasn't_ some coincidence.

"Right," the man nodded and shook the hand I extended to him. "Lucas Thornton. Nice to meet you."

"Sorry about that office deadhead thing," I told him. "Welcome to Mystic Falls."

"Thanks," he nodded again, and left quickly without another word.

* * *

**Miranda's POV**

I had been lying on the bed, thinking, when there was a knock at the door. I sighed and pulled myself upright.

"Come in," I called, hoping that it wasn't Damon again. The door opened slowly and Elijah slipped into the room and I smiled, but it quickly faded when I noticed that he wasn't. "What's wrong?"

"Many things," he replied darkly.

"I heard a commotion downstairs; does that have anything to do with it?" I inquired.

"Yes," he nodded.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing that you should concern yourself with," Elijah sighed. He paused for a moment then glanced over at the record player. "You don't like it?" he asked.

"I do. Thank you so much." He smiled warmly at me. "I've just been…thinking."

"Never a good thing," he smirked.

"I just…don't understand _why_ I forgot everything. I mean, I remember you, but tell me the truth Elijah, how much pain would you have been in if I didn't?"

"Miranda," he stared up at the ceiling for a moment, as if he could find an answer there. "Where is this coming from?"

"I don't want to hurt people," I muttered, feeling my eyes tear up. "Friends, people that I should care about…but whose names I don't even know. I don't think I can do it." Elijah rushed to my side and pulled me into his arms, as he had done many times during my childhood. He smoothed a hand over my hair and tried to calm me down.

"Shh. I know," he whispered. "I understand. "

"I'm scared, Elijah. I feel so alone. Nothing is familiar to me. No one but you."

"That's why I brought you something," he replied. "Something to cheer you up."  
"You already got me a gift," I told him, not wanting to be burdensome.

"This is a better gift."

"Really?" I frowned in confusion.

"A surprise, if you will." I was silent for a few minutes before finally responding.

"What kind of surprise?"

"I see that brightened you up a bit," Elijah teased.

"Hush," I muttered, hitting his chest with the back of my hand.

"There's my girl," he said softly, kissing the top of my head.

"So," I began. "The surprise?"

"I had wanted to surprise you with this months ago," he sighed. "Unfortunately, certain events prevented it." There was a knock at the door and Elijah smiled. "Right on time; you can come in."

The doorknob turned slowly and a man entered the room and froze as his eyes fell upon me. He was extremely handsome, and extremely pale, which was contrasted by ink-black hair that was slightly tousled, as if he had run his hand through it one too many times. My fingers twitched at that thought, and wondered if it felt as soft as it looked. His sharp blue eyes were filled with a mixture of happiness and despair that made my heart ache ever-so slightly and his face was angular, with a sharp jawline and cheekbones. He was dressed much like Elijah was, quite clean and professionally in a suit, but the lack of a necktie and the way the first two buttons of his shirt were undone, gave him a more casual atmosphere.

"Miranda," he finally said, breathlessly, and for some reason, my heart skipped a beat at the sound of his smooth and impossibly deep voice. I didn't know him, not like he seemed to know me, so why was I reacting in such a way?

"Miranda," Elijah began hesitantly, sounding slightly…amused. "Don't be rude; say hello to Lucas."

"Hello Lucas," I greeted, unable to take my eyes away from him.

**A/N: Another chapter after only a week! And a cliffhanger! Ooooohhhhhh! I'm getting super excited! We finally meet—rather, sort of meet—Lucas! He is going to throw things for a ringer! Why? Wll, we'll find out in the next chapter. But enough about that. Let's take a moment to both 'aww' and 'boo' at Damon and his anger/love towards Miranda. The way that I have it in my head—oh god, that makes me sound crazy—it is that Miranda sees herself as an entirely different person than who she was before she lost her memories, and in order to get back to who she was before, she needs to build relationships again, and Damon…he doesn't exactly get that. He thinks that she'll still love him, even if she doesn't know who he is and what he is to her. But he's willing to fight to get her back and in love with him again. Yeah.**

**Anyways, that's it for now. The next chapter will be up…gosh, soon, I hope. I'd like to post a new chapter for my Klaus/OC first, and I start a new class tomorrow (it's only 12-week, as opposed to my other classes, which are 16-week). Hopefully it will be light and we'll have a new chapter before the Season 5 premiere of TVD…but I'm not going to have any high expectations. Lol.**

**And that's it! ****I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, even though it was a tad shorter than I had originally hoped. Reviews are always appreciated and they will get you a sneak peek of the next chapter. So review; questions, comments, concerns. Anything! **

**Until next time! Thanks for reading!**


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